Congressional Republicans rally around Trump’s White House ballroom project
Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) speaks with reporters after speaking in the Senate Chamber at the U.S. Capitol on January 30, 2026 in Washington, DC.
Chip Somodevilla | Getty Images
A trio of Senate Republicans on Monday announced they would introduce legislation authorizing $400 million in federal funding to build President Donald Trump’s White House ballroom following the weekend shooting that disrupted the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., Katie Britt, R-Ala. and Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., said they introduced the bill to fund a project that is vital to national security.
“I think a lot of people initially saw this as a vanity project… I don’t see it that way,” Graham said at a news conference Monday. he said. “I believe if there was a presidential ballroom next door to the White House, the man would never have gotten in.”
The White House Correspondents’ Dinner was cut short Saturday when an alleged gunman burst into the hotel where the annual celebration was being held; but he was stopped by Secret Service agents before entering the room where Trump, Vice President J.D. Vance, other administration officials and members of Congress were gathered.
Following the incident, Trump immediately called for the ballroom to be built as a safer alternative to the Washington Hilton Hotel, where the event was held.
Republicans in Congress have answered those calls over the past two days, announcing plans to introduce multiple bills to clear the way for construction.
In addition to Graham, Britt, and Schmitt, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., Announced Monday He was to introduce a law to parliament on Tuesday that would “move the project forward”. And several GOP members of the House, including Representatives. Randy Fine of Florida And Lauren Boebert of Colorado similarly, the ballroom signaled that they would introduce the bills.
And one Democrat, Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, appealed to his colleagues: Financial support for the ballroom project.
According to Graham, the cost of the ballroom will be covered by customs fees. He said he asked Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R.S.D.) to expedite the process. Graham, who chairs the Senate Budget Committee, said he has not ruled out trying to include it in a tax and spending bill currently making its way through Congress to fund controversial immigration enforcement subdivisions within the Department of Homeland Security that have been closed since February.
Construction of the ballroom was blocked by a federal judge earlier this month on the grounds that Trump did not get permission from Congress.
Britt, who leads the Senate Appropriations subpanel on Homeland Security, called the legal challenge ridiculous.
“President Trump was smart to ask for this, and now it’s time for us to step up and actually move forward. In addition, I hope this serves as a wake-up call on DHS funding,” Britt said.
The Secret Service is one of many agencies funded through DHS. The White House, meanwhile, used funding from the 2025 tax and spending bill known as the One Big Beautiful Bill to pay DHS salaries, but Management warns funding could run out at the end of this month.
The Senate unanimously passed a DHS bill in late March that would fund all agencies except Immigration and Customs Enforcement and border patrol.
House Republicans rejected that bill and instead opted for an alternative that would fully fund the agency; Democrats rejected it without changes to federal immigration enforcement policy.
