Rep. John Garamendi (D-Calif.), a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee, is seeking to prohibit Pentagon funds from being used for the construction of President Trump’s White House ballroom. Garamendi will introduce a floor amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to fully restrict at least $150 million in military funds allocated for the ballroom on the site of the former East Wing, which was demolished last year.

“Defense dollars should be spent on our service members, military families, readiness, shipbuilding and replenishing critical munitions—not on a White House ballroom,” Garamendi told The Hill. “If the President wants to expand the White House, he should find another funding source.”

The reconstruction project is expected to cost around $600 million and will include a ballroom capable of hosting up to 1,000 guests, a drone port on top, and a military facility underneath, according to President Trump. Trump has stated the reconstruction would not be funded by taxpayers and recently requested $1 billion from Congress for security upgrades related to the ballroom.

Back in October, Trump said the military would be involved in the construction. “We’re also working with the military on it because they want to make sure everything is perfect,” he told reporters. “And the military is very much involved in this.”

Last year, the White House awarded a no-bid contract worth up to $500 million to Virginia-based Clark Construction for the East Wing ballroom project, The Washington Post reported.

Meanwhile, a group of House conservative hardliners and some moderate GOP lawmakers blocked a procedural rule that would have merged the SAVE America Act with the NDAA to send the measure to the Senate in one piece through a process known as MIRVing. The House voted 198-224 to reject the rule, with 14 Republicans joining Democrats in opposition.

Sources