Ranking Members Robert Garcia, Jared Huffman, Rep. Ansari Demand Transparency on White House Ballroom Construction During Shutdown
Washington, D.C. – Today, Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.), Ranking Member of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.), Ranking Member of the Committee on Natural Resources, and Rep. Yassamin Ansari (D-Ariz.) demanded answers from President Donald J. Trump regarding the reported construction of a new $250 million ballroom at the White House complex during the ongoing government shutdown.
The lawmakers warn that the project — undertaken “without public disclosure or proper consultation” — raises serious concerns about transparency, funding priorities, and the physical and ethical integrity of the White House.
“[…] Outside the gates,” they write, “millions of Americans are about to lose their health care, SNAP benefits that help put food on the table, and millions more will forego another paycheck because of the Republican refusal to end the shutdown.”
“This project represents one of the most substantial alterations to the White House in modern history,” they wrote. “The decisions were made in complete secrecy.”
According to the letter, the National Capital Planning Commission, which has an important oversight role over such construction, is “closed during the federal government shutdown,” while the Treasury Department “reportedly told employees not to share photos of the construction.”
The lawmakers also cite President Trump’s previous statement that the project “won’t interfere with the current building,” noting that “as we now know, this was a lie as much of the East Wing is demolished.”
They further warn that the demolition of “an iconic symbol of a democracy run of, by, and for the people” is being “funded by major donations from billionaires and corporations,” discussed during “an elaborate dinner at the White House, where donors feasted on tomato salad, Beef Wellington, and butterscotch ice cream with a pear jam-filled meringue,” according to reporting by CBS News.
The letter requests, within two weeks, extensive documentation on the project, including communications with federal agencies, architectural plans, environmental and historic preservation reviews, contract awards, budgets, donor lists, and any legal authorities invoked to continue work during the lapse in appropriations.
“The American people deserve full transparency regarding the substantial demolition, preparation, and construction at the White House during a government shutdown, particularly when it concerns alterations to one of our nation’s most historically significant buildings,” the lawmakers wrote.
Read the full letter here.
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