Trump's White House Construction Costs Balloon Past $900 Million Without Congress

The Washington Post reported that the Trump administration is on track to spend at least $900 million — $927 million by one accounting — on White House construction, combining the roughly $600 million ballroom project with a new underground security complex, a rebuilt helipad, a West Wing redesign and an overhaul of Lafayette Park. The funding comes from private donors and money redirected from other agencies into a small account normally used for routine executive-mansion maintenance, rather than a direct congressional appropriation.

A federal appeals court found this month that no president in American history had unilaterally demolished substantial White House structures Congress had authorized and taxpayers had paid for, with legal experts saying the funding approach bypasses Congress's constitutional power over federal spending. The White House says the projects are "long-overdue" security and safety upgrades tied to threats against the president and his Cabinet.

An appeals court ordered a two-week halt to ballroom construction to allow the administration to seek Supreme Court review, and Democrats have asked the Government Accountability Office to investigate the private donor funding.