The estimated cost of President Donald Trump’s planned White House ballroom has surged to $600 million, with internal records showing taxpayers could be responsible for roughly half the price, according to a new published report.
The latest figure represents a dramatic increase from the $400 million estimate Trump repeatedly cited when defending the project and comes as a fresh legal challenge seeks to block another of his high-profile Washington redevelopment efforts, the National Garden of American Heroes.
Further, the developments have intensified a growing fight over executive power, federal spending, historic preservation, and Trump’s effort to reshape the nation’s capital through a series of projects. Some of the projects include the demolition of the White House East Wing, a 90,000-square-foot ballroom, a proposed triumphal arch, and the planned sculpture garden near the National Mall.
“We should be improving the economic life for Americans,” Rep. Ro Khanna, (D-Calif.), said in a statement obtained by the Informer. “That should be our message.”
The newest legal challenge was filed in federal court by preservation and conservation organizations seeking to halt construction of the National Garden of American Heroes in West Potomac Park. The lawsuit argues that the project lacks required congressional authorization and violates federal laws governing historic and protected public spaces.
At the same time, congressional Democrats continue pressing their argument that the ballroom project itself violates the Constitution because Congress never authorized the demolition of the East Wing or appropriated funds for its replacement. A 143-member congressional amicus brief filed in the ongoing court battle argues that authority over federal property belongs to Congress, not the president.
“Senate Democrats were able to knock taxpayer funding for Republicans’ gilded ballroom out of the reconciliation bill, but the law is clear that the entire project is illegal,” said Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.).
The congressional brief maintains that Congress neither authorized nor appropriated funds for the demolition and reconstruction of the East Wing and argues that allowing a president to demolish and rebuild portions of the White House without congressional approval would upset the constitutional separation of powers.
Maryland Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen said the ballroom has become evidence of a larger problem.
“It shows that Trump cares only about enriching himself and his family and his billionaire buddies at the expense of the country,” Van Hollen said.
The dispute has already reached the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit after a lower court issued an injunction against the project. Congressional lawmakers contend that the Constitution grants Congress exclusive authority over federal property and spending decisions involving the White House.
According to the congressional filing, White House maintenance funds cited by the administration were intended for repairs, safety issues, and routine upkeep, not for demolishing an entire wing and replacing it with a massive new structure. Lawmakers further noted that annual appropriations for White House repair and restoration totaled only a few million dollars, a fraction of the ballroom’s projected cost.
Public opposition has also become a political factor. A Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos survey found that a majority of Americans opposed the ballroom project, with opposition extending well beyond Democratic voters.
California Democratic Rep. Robert Garcia, one of the lawmakers backing the congressional court filing, argued that the project sends the wrong message at a time when many Americans are struggling financially.
“While working families are told there’s no money for affordable housing, health care, or lowering everyday costs, President Trump is building a billion-dollar ballroom. Everyone should be disgusted by his illegal and unconstitutional vanity project. We are fighting this in court,” Garcia said.
Rep. Jared Huffman, a California Democrat, delivered a similar warning.
“Donald Trump looked at a country full of people working hard and still falling behind, and he decided what America needed was a gaudy ballroom. Now he is reaching into the pockets of working families for crystal chandeliers and gold trim while Americans are told to tighten their belts. The White House does not belong to Donald Trump and his billionaire buddies. We are fighting this in court,” Huffman said.
