Source: Fox News
Summary
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has released $351.6 million to the Secret Service for “White House Security Measures,” as President Donald Trump continues to advocate for a ballroom to be built where the East Wing used to be. The funds were approved on Friday, with $340.8 million going towards an account called “Procurement, Construction, and Improvements.” The other $10.75 million will go towards an “Operations and Support” account. The money comes from a section of the One Big Beautiful Bill, passed last July, that gave $1.7 billion to the Secret Service.
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As expected, the matter has reached another stage.
The White House is getting a new ballroom, and it’s going to be big. President Trump wants it to be a “massive” six-story complex with a military hospital, research facilities, and security infrastructure. The project has been challenged in court, but the OMB has released $351.6 million for security measures. The East Wing was demolished in October 2025 to make way for the ballroom, which prompted a lawsuit from the National Trust for Historic Preservation. A judge ordered a halt to above-ground construction, but a three-judge panel on the D.C. Circuit court stayed the order, allowing construction to continue pending an appeal from the White House. The ballroom is expected to cost $600 million, with more than half of that sum coming from taxpayers.
Security has been a major concern, with a gunman showing up at the White House Correspondent’s Dinner and firing at Secret Service agents at a security checkpoint. Trump has argued that the ballroom is necessary for national security, and the recent shooting outside the White House has renewed his calls for the project.
It’s just another day in the life of the White House, where security and politics are always intertwined.
The ballroom project has become a symbol of the Trump administration’s priorities, and it’s clear that security is at the top of the list.
And so, the construction continues, with the OMB releasing funds and the White House pushing forward with the project.
