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Republicans in Congress on Monday launched renewed efforts to approve and pay for President Donald Trump’s proposed White House ballroom, arguing that the proposal’s security upgrades are needed after Saturday’s shooting attempt at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner.
A new bill introduced by Republican senators would authorize $400 million, which the sponsors said is roughly the cost of the project, for construction and security infrastructure underneath the ballroom. The proposal has been tied to Trump’s plan for private funding, but Sen. Lindsey Graham argued on Monday that private money should be limited to things such as furnishings.
Speaking at a news conference, Graham said the ballroom was not a “vanity project,” and he argued it would help Trump hold events safely and reduce the need for less secure venues. He contrasted the planned White House events with the dinner’s location at the Washington Hilton, where he said the chaos made clear the venue is riskier.
Graham also addressed plans for the next iteration of the dinner, saying, “It would be insane” to hold the event there again. He added that he would advise any president not to do it, even as Trump has said he would like the dinner to be rescheduled.
The renewed ballroom push came as the man authorities say tried to storm the dinner faced federal charges in court Monday. Cole Tomas Allen appeared in court to face charges of attempting to assassinate Trump after Saturday’s encounter in which shots were fired outside the ballroom, during which Trump was evacuated off the stage as guests dived under tables and ducked for cover.
Other Republicans said they would pursue their own measures to move the ballroom plan forward. Rep. Lauren Boebert and Sens. Rand Paul and Tim Sheehy all indicated support for additional steps, while Sheehy posted on X that it was “an embarrassment to the strongest nation on earth” that lawmakers could not host gatherings in the nation’s capital without threats of violence and attempted assassinations.
Democrats, however, said the ballroom debate misses more immediate security needs. House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries told reporters that Trump should focus on ending the war with Iran and on healthcare and other measures aimed at driving down living costs, rather than focusing on the ballroom.
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer criticized the ballroom proposal and said Republicans should instead pass a spending bill that includes money for the U.S. Secret Service, which he said has been shut down for more than two months. Schumer said the House had yet to act on two spending bills for the department that were approved by the Senate, and he argued that Republicans could improve security by funding the Secret Service rather than backing what he described as a luxury ballroom.
The disagreement also reflects wider congressional fights over Department of Homeland Security funding, including immigration enforcement. Republicans used the incident to blame Democrats for blocking money for immigration enforcement agencies since mid-February, while the chaos at the annual dinner came after Trump had faced two attempts on his life and as members of Congress in both parties have received increasing numbers of death threats in recent years.
Graham said the times were unusual, telling reporters, “I’ve been up here a while now, and I’ve never felt the sense of threat that exists today.” Alabama Sen. Katie Britt, who sponsored the legislation with Graham, said the bill was about more than Trump, arguing, “This will not be done until the end of his term,” and saying the goal is for the country to have a place to gather safely.
It remained unclear Monday whether the ballroom funding effort could secure enough support. Democrats have opposed the construction since Trump demolished part of the White House to make way for it without permission from Congress, and as the plan has faced lawsuits, the ballroom proposal’s path through Congress appeared uncertain.