Trump Administration Transfers $397M for White House Security as Senators Question Ballroom Funding
A growing bipartisan dispute over White House spending intensified this week after the Trump administration transferred nearly $400 million into accounts designated for White House security measures, prompting senators to question whether taxpayer funds are being used to support the president’s ballroom project despite congressional resistance.
Budget records reviewed by ABC News show approximately $397 million was transferred from a larger Secret Service appropriation enacted by Congress. The funding had originally been approved to strengthen Secret Service resources, including personnel, training, technology, and retention efforts.
The administration says the money is being used for security infrastructure tied to the East Wing modernization project, which includes Trump’s long-sought White House ballroom. White House officials argue the security upgrades are necessary given modern threats and the president’s protection requirements.
But lawmakers from both parties are questioning whether the transfers effectively sidestep Congress after a separate proposal to provide up to $1 billion for ballroom-related security costs encountered opposition on Capitol Hill.
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The dispute extends beyond the ballroom itself. At issue is whether the executive branch can reinterpret congressional appropriations after lawmakers have already rejected or narrowed specific funding requests.
The controversy has grown as new reporting suggests more than half of the project’s estimated $600 million cost could ultimately come from taxpayer-supported sources, contradicting earlier assurances that private donations would finance the undertaking.
The project also remains entangled in legal challenges related to construction and the demolition of the historic East Wing.
For Congress, the next question is whether the transfers complied with the limits lawmakers attached to the Secret Service funding. For the White House, the challenge is defending the spending as a legitimate security necessity rather than a workaround to congressional opposition.
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