Republican lawmakers are calling for legislation to authorize and fund the construction of a White House ballroom after a gunman opened fire at a media gala this weekend with President Donald Trump and top Cabinet officials in attendance.
A handful of legislators say they’ll introduce bills this week to approve the construction, which has seen a slew of legal challenges as federal judges consider whether Trump has the authority to move forward with the project without congressional approval. Shortly after the shooting on Saturday evening, Trump renewed his calls for the ballroom to be completed — a suggestion that was quickly echoed by his top supporters in Congress.
“I’m working with my team to draft legislation ensuring the White House Ballroom is completed,” Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., said in a social media post. “I don’t believe congressional approval is required for the project, but if it’ll keep activist judges on the sideline, so be it. More to come this week.”
Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Katie Britt, R-Ala., said they would introduce a bill to authorize $400 million in federal funds for the ballroom project. That cost would be offset by Customs fees, Graham said.
But its future in Congress is unclear as Democrats have previously rejected the ballroom as an expensive vanity project that they say would mar the White House’s exterior.
The legislation comes as Republicans argue the ballroom is necessary for future events where the president, vice president and top White House officials are in attendance. Graham said he would ask Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., to expedite consideration.
“I’d like to vote as soon as possible to accelerate what America needs: a secure facility for the president and others to meet and to have a good time, to enjoy themselves without putting the nation at risk,” Graham said on Monday. “We don’t have that. We’re about to obtain it. The ballroom is much more than just a place to entertain. There’ll be infrastructure around it, vital to our national security.”
The White House Correspondents’ Association dinner is expected to be rescheduled for sometime in the next 30 days, Trump said on Saturday, although details around that are not yet clear. Press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Monday it was Trump’s intention to attend the rescheduled dinner.
However, it’s not decided if the event would be held at the same location or if organizers will seek another venue.
Leavitt noted there isn’t “a room big enough here at the White House” to hold the event, reiterating the president’s argument for the ballroom construction.
“It is actually critical for our national security that a larger secure building on this complex, which is the most secure complex in the world, is built to accommodate not only large amounts of guests, but also the president, the vice president, members of the Cabinet, (and) the line of succession,” Leavitt said on Monday. “The White House ballroom will provide that, and so it’s critical that we get this project done as quickly as possible.”
But critics have raised questions about whether the ballroom is feasible for an event of that size — or if the White House would be an appropriate location.
The annual dinner is hosted by the White House Correspondents’ Association as a way to honor journalists working in Washington and protecting the First Amendment. While the president is invited as a guest of honor each year, the event is not held by the sitting administration — raising questions about whether it would be held at the White House if the ballroom was finished.
Still, Republicans say the ballroom is a necessity for the president’s safety now and in future administrations.
“We’re going to build this facility and I would suggest to the next president: Don’t go to the Hilton, don’t do an event at the Hilton, or any other facility outside the White House, given the times in which we live,” Graham said. “The need is real.”
Top Republican lawmakers have similarly argued the ballroom is the “solution” to avoiding similar incidents in the future.
“The ballroom will be a solution for this, because it will be on the most secure compound in the world,” House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., told Fox News on Monday. “It won’t have hotel rooms above it, and it will have seven-inch thick glass, for example, on the windows. So it’ll be a very safe environment to do events like this. We need a place … and the president keeps pointing it out.”
Sen. John Fetterman, D-Penn., backed efforts to build a ballroom for future events with the president, writing in a social media post that people should “drop the (Trump Derangement Syndrome) and build the White House ballroom for events exactly like these.”
“We were there front and center,” he wrote. “That venue wasn’t built to accommodate an event with the line of succession for the U.S. government.”
The ballroom project has faced several legal challenges since the president approved the demolition of the East Wing last year. The National Trust for Historic Preservation filed a lawsuit against the administration over claims the project violates laws requiring congressional approval.
The Justice Department urged the group to drop its lawsuit in a letter on Sunday, although the group said on Monday it would not dismiss the case.
“Your assertion that this lawsuit puts the President’s life at ‘grave risk’ is incorrect and irresponsible,” Greg Craig, a lawyer for the National Trust, wrote in a response. “Simply put, this case does not jeopardize the President’s safety in any way. And nothing prevents you from asking Congress at any time for the necessary authorization required by the Constitution and federal law.”
The alleged shooter was charged on Monday with attempting to assassinate the president of the United States as well as two other gun charges. The defendant, identified as Cole Tomas Allen, faces up to life in prison if convicted.