NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has released $351.6 million to the Secret Service for “White House Security Measures,” all while 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 being put into an account called “Procurement, Construction, and Improvements.” The other $10.75 million will go toward an “Operations and Support” account, according to a database maintained by the OMB.
This money comes from a section of the One Big Beautiful Bill, passed last July through the budget reconciliation process, that gave $1.7 billion to the Secret Service. The law requires these funds to be used for personnel, training facilities, programming, technology, retention and signing bonuses for agents.
REPUBLICANS EYE PICKING UP $400M TAB FOR TRUMP’S BALLROOM AS SOME DEMS OPEN TO ‘DISCUSS’ IDEA
It is unclear if the $351.6 million approved last week for security measures will be spent on the ongoing ballroom project, which has been challenged in court.
In a statement to Fox News Digital, White House spokesman Davis Ingle said the East Wing Modernization Project “is inextricably tied to the security of the President, the White House grounds and the certain security infrastructure assets”
“The press release announcing the construction of the ballroom highlighted coordination with the White House Military Office and the United States Secret Service regarding design features and planning,” he said. “President Trump and generous American patriots are funding the ballroom to the tune of approximately $400 million, which will be a secure and appropriate venue for Presidents for generations to come.”
“The events over the weekend and the foiled attack on the historic UFC Freedom 250 event at the White House proves exactly why the East Wing Modernization Project is severely needed for large scale events, which include drone proof structures and drone ports among other critical security enhancements,” Ingle added.
The Secret Service did not immediately return a request for comment.
Trump has said that there will be a “massive” six-story complex underneath the ballroom that would include a military hospital, research facilities, various meeting rooms and security infrastructure related to drone and missile defense.
In late May, Trump said the construction will cost $400 million. He has also maintained that the ballroom will be funded through private donations and not with taxpayer dollars.
TRUMP CLAIMS DONOR FUNDED WHITE HOUSE BALLROOM INCLUDES HIDDEN BUILD BELOW WITH SECURITY FOCUS
The Washington Post reported on Tuesday that the contractor on the project estimated the ballroom would cost $600 million, with more than half of that sum coming from taxpayers.
Trump has long said the ballroom is needed to make presidential events more secure. The most recent threat to the White House came on Sunday, when the FBI said it disrupted an alleged plot to use explosives attached to drones to attack buildings near the UFC Freedom 250 event.
To make way for the planned ballroom, the East Wing was demolished in October 2025, which prompted a lawsuit from the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The nonprofit argued that the Trump administration had bypassed key review processes and must seek approval from Congress for the project.
In March, U.S. District Judge Richard Leon ruled that the administration had likely exceeded its authority and ordered a halt to all above-ground construction.
PRESERVATION GROUP SUES TRUMP ADMINISTRATION OVER WHITE HOUSE BALLROOM PROJECT
On April 17, a three-judge panel on the D.C. Circuit court stayed Leon’s order and allowed construction to continue pending an appeal from the White House.
Days after the D.C. Circuit’s ruling, a gunman showed up at the White House Correspondent’s Dinner, which was being held at the Washington Hilton, and fired at Secret Service agents at a security checkpoint.
After the suspect, Cole Tomas Allen, was apprehended, Trump and his allies renewed their calls for a White House ballroom so similar security lapses would not be possible in the future.
A shooting outside the White House on May 23 prompted Trump to once again argue that the ballroom is necessary.
“This event is one month removed from the White House Correspondent’s Dinner shooting, and goes to show how important it is, for all future Presidents, to get, what will be, the most safe and secure space of its kind ever built in Washington, D.C. The National Security of our Country demands it!” he wrote on Truth Social on May 24.
Read the full article here