EXCLUSIVE — Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) is introducing legislation Tuesday to give congressional approval for the construction of President Donald Trump‘s White House ballroom.
The legislation, titled the TRUMP Ballroom Act, would simply give the president of the United States authorization to “design and construct a ballroom facility on the grounds of the White House.” It also gives the president “sole” design and approval authority for the ballroom.
Trump’s ballroom has been the subject of a legal challenge from the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which has argued the project needs congressional approval. District Judge Richard Leon, a Bush appointee, has halted the construction project as the legal case plays out.
Boebert announced over the weekend she would introduce the legislation after the Saturday night assassination attempt against Trump and other administration officials at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner.
“The recent attempted assassination of President Trump this past weekend has highlighted the need for a space adjacent to White House that the President can host large events without exposing himself to another would-be assassin,” Boebert said in a statement. “While I don’t see any reason Congressional approval for this ballroom should be required, activist judges and leftist dogwalkers have inserted themselves into this renovation at the White House.”
She continued, “As a result, I’m proud to introduce the TRUMP Ballroom Act so that we can get this project over the finish line.”
The bill is one of five floated across Capitol Hill to rubber-stamp the ballroom. On the Senate side, Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Katie Britt (R-AL), and Eric Schmitt (R-MO) are backing legislation to appropriate at least $400 million to build the ballroom.
Boebert’s proposal would not authorize any additional funding for the ballroom, which Trump has stated would be funded by private donors. Trump appeared to signal support for a similar framework on the Senate side, floated by Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), who said he would introduce legislation that would allow construction to “proceed without new taxpayer costs and make it easier for Congress to review major White House projects going forward.”
CONGRESS RESPONDS TO WHCA ATTACK WITH FIVE SEPARATE BILLS TO BUILD TRUMP’S BALLROOM
Trump has said his proposed 90,000-square-foot ballroom, which is expected to cost $400 million to construct, cannot be “built fast enough” in the aftermath of White House Correspondents’ Association dinner shooting.
“What happened last night is exactly the reason that our great Military, Secret Service, Law Enforcement and, for different reasons, every President for the last 150 years, have been DEMANDING that a large, safe, and secure Ballroom be built ON THE GROUNDS OF THE WHITE HOUSE,” Trump posted on Truth Social Sunday. “This event would never have happened with the Militarily Top Secret Ballroom currently under construction at the White House. It cannot be built fast enough! While beautiful, it has every highest level security feature there is plus, there are no rooms sitting on top for unsecured people to pour in, and is inside the gates of the most secure building in the World, The White House.”