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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
World
Joseph Gedeon in Washington

Trump administration quietly shifts $352m in federal funds for White House ballroom

Trump gestures in front of a construction site.
Donald Trump at the site of ongoing construction of the planned White House ballroom on 19 May 2026. Photograph: Kevin Lamarque/Reuters

Donald Trump’s administration has quietly redirected $352m in federal funds designated for the Secret Service toward the president’s controversial White House ballroom project, despite repeated promises by Trump that the construction would be financed by private donations

The funds were drawn from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, Trump’s signature tax legislation passed last summer on Republican-only votes. The law stipulates the money may only be spent on Secret Service personnel, training facilities, technology and related costs, not construction.

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