President Donald Trump’s colossal ballroom could be backed by hundreds of millions in taxpayer money, and after months of the president declaring that it was completely privately funded, lawmakers aren’t happy. A report from the Washington Post found that estimates for Trump’s 90,000-square-foot ballroom had skyrocketed to $600 million.Of that, about half would come from taxpayer-funded sources. Both Republicans and Democrats had already drawn a sharp line against dipping into taxpayer funds to pay for the project earlier this year when confronted with tacking on roughly $220 million in security enhancement funding for the ballroom through budget reconciliation. TRUMP DEMANDS SENATE PARLIAMENTARIAN'S OUSTER FOR AXING BALLROOM SECURITY FUNDINGPresident Donald Trump holds a design rendering of a proposed $400 million presidential ballroom at the White House.
(Aaron Schwartz/CNP/Bloomberg)"We have to have a serious conversation about the benefit to the taxpayers, right? If taxpayers aren't paying for it, it's a different bar, but if they're paying for it, we have to have a totally different conversation," Sen.John Curtis, R-Utah, said.
"Is that how they want their money spent?"The Post’s report, published Tuesday, reviewed documents between the White House and Clark Construction, a McLean, Va.-based company leading the construction of the ballroom, dating back over the last several months. A project summary from March 5 detailed that the ballroom, which Trump initially said would cost $100 million, would clock in at $600 million. Of that, $293 million was expected to come from private donors.The remaining $307 million was to come from the Secret Service, White House Military Office and Executive Residence.
All three are funded by taxpayers.SENATE REPUBLICAN THREATENS TO DERAIL ICE, BORDER PATROL PACKAGE OVER TRUMP'S BILLION-DOLLAR REQUESTWhen asked the veracity of the reported figures, Clark Construction referred Fox News Digital to the White House and ...