The Trump administration’s budget office has redirected $352 million in Secret Service funds originally designated for training and recruitment to what it described as White House security measures, according to federal records released earlier today.
The funds came from a $1.17 billion appropriation for the Secret Service included in last year’s reconciliation package, which specified that the money could be used only for additional personnel, training facilities, technology, and bonuses for Secret Service agents.
The timing of the shift raises questions about the administration’s plans for the White House ballroom project. Just days earlier, the Washington Post reported that an internal cost estimate from the project’s contractor, Clark Construction, put the total price at $600 million, with approximately half expected to come from taxpayers.
Trump had repeatedly promised the ballroom would cost $400 million and be funded entirely through private donations. “Trump promised again and again taxpayers would not pay a cent for his ballroom,” Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins, a Republican from Maine, said in response to the contractor’s estimate. “I’ve said repeatedly that the president has promised that only private donations would be used for the ballroom, and I believe he should keep to that.”
The Office of Management and Budget did not immediately respond to requests for comment about the fund reallocation. The apportionments—$340.8 million for procurement and construction and $10.75 million for operations and support—were recorded in a federal database tracking how appropriated money is released for spending.
Democratic senators criticized the move. Senate Appropriations ranking member Patty Murray of Washington said the administration’s actions represent “a corrupt disgrace,” noting that the ballroom project could cost taxpayers potentially $300 million despite Trump’s assurances. “Another broken promise,” she said.
The White House ballroom project, being constructed on the site of the demolished East Wing, has been a source of ongoing funding disputes on Capitol Hill. Senate Republicans initially sought to include $1 billion in Secret Service funding for ballroom-related security in their reconciliation bill this spring, but that provision was stripped from the legislation after objections from some Republican senators who questioned the use of taxpayer money for the project.
Sources
- The Washington Post — reported the $352 million fund shift and the $600 million cost estimate from contractor Clark Construction
- Roll Call — documented the $351.6 million apportionment and quoted Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins and Democratic senators
- USA Today — reported on the cost escalation and taxpayer funding implications
