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A group of Senate Republicans on Monday previewed a bill that would allow public funds to be used to build a ballroom attached to the White House, a project backed by President Trump.
The Trump administration broke ground on a privately funded ballroom last year, but the project has faced legal challenges. Mr. Trump and congressional Republicans have argued that Saturday’s shooting demonstrates why a large event space on the White House grounds is a security necessity, a call echoed by Democratic Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania.
In a news conference Monday, Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina said he plans to introduce a bill that would authorize $400 million for a ballroom with Secret Service and other security facilities underground. The project would be offset by customs fees.Â
Graham was joined by GOP Sens. Katie Britt of Alabama and Eric Schmitt of Missouri.
He called Saturday’s shooting a “wakeup call,” telling reporters: “I’m convinced if there had been a presidential ballroom adjacent to the White House, the guy would never have gotten in.”
“Many people, I think, originally saw it as a vanity project,” Graham said. “I don’t see it that way, and I don’t think I ever did.”
Mr. Trump had sought to pay for the ballroom through private donations, drawing criticism from Democrats. Graham said his bill would allow donations to be used, “but I think they should be used for buying china and stuff like that.”Â
It’s not clear that the ballroom could host the correspondents’ dinner, which is put on by a private group and typically has more attendees than the White House space is expected to be able to accommodate. Graham told reporters it would be up to the White House Correspondents’ Association to decide where the dinner is hosted, but he called the idea of hosting it at the Washington Hilton Hotel again “crazy.”
The senator told reporters he would prefer to pass the legislation as a freestanding bill, but he didn’t rule out trying to add it to a pending budget reconciliation package. Without going through the reconciliation process, the bill would likely need 60 votes in the Senate, requiring several Democrats to sign on.
A group of Senate Republicans on Monday previewed a bill that would allow public funds to be used to build a ballroom attached to the White House, a project backed by President Trump.
The Trump administration broke ground on a privately funded ballroom last year, but the project has faced legal challenges. Mr. Trump and congressional Republicans have argued that Saturday’s shooting demonstrates why a large event space on the White House grounds is a security necessity, a call echoed by Democratic Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania.
In a news conference Monday, Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina said he plans to introduce a bill that would authorize $400 million for a ballroom with Secret Service and other security facilities underground. The project would be offset by customs fees.Â
Graham was joined by GOP Sens. Katie Britt of Alabama and Eric Schmitt of Missouri.
He called Saturday’s shooting a “wakeup call,” telling reporters: “I’m convinced if there had been a presidential ballroom adjacent to the White House, the guy would never have gotten in.”
“Many people, I think, originally saw it as a vanity project,” Graham said. “I don’t see it that way, and I don’t think I ever did.”
Mr. Trump had sought to pay for the ballroom through private donations, drawing criticism from Democrats. Graham said his bill would allow donations to be used, “but I think they should be used for buying china and stuff like that.”Â
It’s not clear that the ballroom could host the correspondents’ dinner, which is put on by a private group and typically has more attendees than the White House space is expected to be able to accommodate. Graham told reporters it would be up to the White House Correspondents’ Association to decide where the dinner is hosted, but he called the idea of hosting it at the Washington Hilton Hotel again “crazy.”
The senator told reporters he would prefer to pass the legislation as a freestanding bill, but he didn’t rule out trying to add it to a pending budget reconciliation package. Without going through the reconciliation process, the bill would likely need 60 votes in the Senate, requiring several Democrats to sign on.
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