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Republicans rush to green light White House ballroom following third Trump assassination scare
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Republicans are rushing to give President Donald Trump’s controversial ballroom addition to the White House the congressional go-ahead after a shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner.
Lawmakers argue that Trump’s desire to build a ballroom at the White House — which ground to a halt after being snarled in litigation — would provide an ideal secure venue for future events following the shooting at the Washington Hilton on Saturday.
Sen. Tim Sheehy, R-Mont., announced he would try to fast-track a bill to give congressional approval for construction of the ballroom in the Senate when the upper chamber returns this week.
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First Lady Melania Trump and President Donald Trump attend the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner at the Washington Hilton in Washington, D.C., on April 25, 2026. (Mandel Ngan/AFP)
He argued that «a president of any party should be able to host events in a secure area without attendees worrying about their safety.»
«It is an embarrassment to the strongest nation on Earth that we cannot host gatherings in our nation’s capital, including ones attended by our president, without the threat of violence and attempted assassinations,» Sheehy said in a statement.
It’s an about-face on Capitol Hill for Republicans, who, since Trump first announced his plans to build a ballroom last year, have largely kept their distance from the issue.
And it’s one spurred by the shooting on Saturday night, where Cole Allen was subdued by federal law enforcement after exchanging gunfire near the ballroom of the Washington Hilton, where Trump and his Cabinet, along with hundreds of guests, were seated for the annual White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner.
But a lawsuit and an ensuing court-ordered injunction against the 90,000-square-foot, $400 million gilded behemoth — which was being built where the White House’s East Wing once stood — have thrown the future of the project into question.
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President Donald Trump holds a rendering of the planned $400 million White House Ballroom extension during a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in the Oval Office in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 22, 2025. (Aaron Schwartz/CNP/Bloomberg)
A federal court ordered in March that the construction end without congressional approval. That ruling was later appealed to allow construction to continue below ground for what Trump previously described as a «shed» for a military complex.
After the shooting, Trump pushed for construction to continue.
«We need the ballroom,» Trump said at a news conference Saturday night. «That’s why Secret Service, that’s why the military are demanding it.»
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President Donald Trump shared a rendering of the proposed White House ballroom on Truth Social on Feb. 3, 2026. (Copyright Donald Trump/Truth Social)
Now Republicans are getting involved. Reps. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., and Randy Fine, R-Fla., like Sheehy, are planning to introduce legislation that would give congressional approval to the project.
«I don’t believe congressional approval is required for the project, but if it’ll keep activist judges on the sideline, so be it,» Boebert said on X.
The latest legislative push in the lower chamber comes during a week full of deadlines and must-do items for House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La. Among them is consideration of the Senate’s budget blueprint to fund immigration operations for the remainder of Trump’s presidency.
At least one lawmaker, Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, wants any consideration of the blueprint to «provide for construction of a secure ballroom on White House grounds.»
For now, it’s not entirely a partisan issue.
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Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., one of the few Democrats at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner, argued that rancor between the aisles should be put aside to support ballroom construction.
«That venue wasn’t built to accommodate an event with the line of succession for the U.S. government,» Fetterman said on X. «After witnessing last night, drop the TDS and build the White House ballroom for events exactly like these.»
politics, national security, congress, white house, republicans, senate elections
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Fetterman breaks with Democrats after shooting scare, backs Trump on major White House project
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Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., broke party lines again after the close call at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner this weekend, siding with President Donald Trump’s push to build a ballroom at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
Fetterman, who has repeatedly shown he is willing to defy his party, posted on X that he was «there front and center» at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner when the shooting occurred Saturday night. The alleged shooter, 31-year-old California resident Cole Allen, broke through multiple layers of Secret Service security at the Washington Hilton and nearly opened fire in a room where the president, vice president and other key administration and federal officials were present.
«After witnessing last night,» Fetterman called for people to «drop the TDS [Trump derangement syndrome] and build the White House ballroom.»
He said the purpose of the ballroom would be to host events «exactly like these.»
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Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., called for the completion of the new White House ballroom after the close call alleging an active shooter situation at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner on April 25, 2026. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images; Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
«We were there front and center,» he wrote. «That venue wasn’t built to accommodate an event with the line of succession for the U.S. government.»
Though construction is continuing on the $400 million privately funded White House ballroom, the project is currently bogged down in a legal challenge by the nonprofit National Trust for Historic Preservation (NTHP). After the shooting, the Justice Department pressed NTHP to drop its lawsuit, citing concerns about the safety and security of the president and other key personnel.
«[Y]our lawsuit puts the lives of the president, his family, and his staff at grave risk,» Brett Shumate, assistant attorney general in DOJ’s Civil Division, wrote in a Sunday letter to opposing counsel, shared on X by acting Attorney General Todd Blanche.
«Enough is enough,» Shumate continued. «Your client should voluntarily dismiss this frivolous lawsuit today in light of last night’s assassination attempt on President Trump.»
«As history proves, that venue is demonstrably unsafe for the President of the United States because its size presents extraordinary security challenges for the Secret Service.
«[Saturday’s] assassination attempt on President Trump proves, yet again, that the White House ballroom is essential for the safety and security of the President, his family, his cabinet, and his staff.»
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White House Deputy Chief of Staff Dan Scavino jumps over a chair after an incident at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner in Washington, D.C., on April 25, 2026. President Donald Trump and other officials were evacuated from the Washington Hilton following reports of gunfire. The FBI’s Washington field office said a subject is in custody. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Raquel Debono, a conservative influencer who attended the dinner, told Fox News Digital, «No ballroom no matter how grand, matters if we can’t keep people safe first.»
«Everyone’s debating architecture while a shooter got into what should have been the most heavily secured event in America – it’s a ridiculous distraction,» said Debono. «The security failures are the story. It was too easy to get in.»
Debono shared on X that she left the dinner early prior to the shooting due to an «uneasy feeling.» She noted that their bags were not checked and that people were «shoved through doors.»
Trump himself pointed to the incident as evidence that the hotel venue was «not a particularly secure building,» arguing that a new White House ballroom — equipped with features like bulletproof materials — would offer a safer alternative.
«It’s really what you need,» Trump said on Fox News on Sunday. «You can’t have a thousand [hotel] rooms or whatever it is, I mean, it’s a very big hotel, on top of the ballroom. And people come down the elevator, and they’re right next to the ballroom.»
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President Donald Trump gestures as he speaks in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House after an unspecified threat at the annual White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner in Washington, Saturday, April 25, 2026. (Jose Luis Magana/AP)
Though the shooting prompted widespread calls for a White House ballroom, Fetterman stood out as a lone Democrat willing to join in on the push.
On Sunday, Fetterman admitted on CNN, «I never really had a strong opinion on the ballroom to be honest, but this clearly demonstrated [the need].»
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He emphasized the need to ensure not only the president’s protection but also that of those in the line of succession, should anything happen to the president.
«I just walked away from that still kind of stunned how lucky we were that no one was seriously hurt,» said Fetterman. «And when we have the significant majority of our leadership in a very small, clustered area, it could have been much more catastrophic for our nation that day.»
Fox News Digital’s Eric Mack and Amanda Macias contributed to this report.
john fetterman, national security, congress, white house, politics
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The Trump administration has reportedly ramped up its punitive measures to compel Iraq to disband Iranian regime-backed militias known as the Popular Mobilization Force (PMF) that form part of its government after sustained attacks on U.S. personnel and facilities.
Amid a tenuous ceasefire between the U.S. and the Islamic Republic of Iran, the administration tightened the screws on Iraq by stopping U.S. dollar shipments to Baghdad. The growing disagreements over policy between the U.S. and Iraq could lead to weakening Iran’s presence in the region and advance U.S. war aims against Tehran.
In a statement against Iraq’s government, a State Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital, «The United States has consistently been clear we will take all measures to counter Iran’s destabilizing activities in Iraq, protect U.S. interests against Iran-aligned terrorist militias in Iraq, and make clear our concerns about the Iraqi government’s failure to prevent this terrorism.»
US WARNS IRAQ MUST ACT AGAINST IRAN-BACKED MILITIA ATTACKS ON AMERICAN ASSETS
An explosion occurred near the U.S. Consulate and Erbil International Airport, where a U.S. military base is located, in Erbil, Iraq, on March 12, 2026, causing fire and thick smoke to rise following the blast. (Ahsan Mohammed Ahmed Ahmed/Anadolu)
The spokesperson added that «While we acknowledge the efforts of Iraqi Security Forces to respond to terrorist attacks by Iran-aligned militia groups, we continue to emphasize that the Iraqi government’s failure to prevent these attacks while some elements associated with the Iraqi government continue to actively provide political, financial, and operational cover for the militias adversely impacts the U.S.-Iraq relationship. The United States will not tolerate attacks on U.S. interests and expects the Iraqi government to immediately take all measures to dismantle the Iran-aligned militia groups in Iraq.»
The Wall Street Journal first reported last week about the security and financial penalties imposed on Iraq. According to the report, the U.S. halted security cooperation programs with Iraq’s military and stopped «a cargo-plane delivery of nearly $500 million in U.S. banknotes, the proceeds from Iraqi oil sales from Federal Reserve Bank of New York accounts.»
The newspaper said it was the second blocked delivery of dollars to the Central Bank of Iraq since the start of the U.S.-Israel war on Feb. 28 against Iran.
The Treasury Department declined to comment on the blocked payments.
Iraqi security forces stand guard during a funerary procession in Baghdad on March 8, 2026, for a slain member of the Popular Mobilisation Forces killed in a U.S.-Israeli airstrike in Mosul the previous evening. (Ahmad Al-Rubaye/AFP)
An Iraqi official told Fox News Digital that «With regard to relations with the United States, Iraq views them as an important partnership based on shared interests and cooperation. The two sides have fought together in a decisive battle against ISIS, reflecting the depth and significance of this relationship.»
In reference to the pro-Iran militias, the Iraqi official said, «As for the issue of armed factions, it is important to note that the Iraqi reality is highly complex, with overlapping political, security and social dimensions. Some of these factions also possess political and popular influence. Accordingly, addressing this issue requires careful and gradual approaches grounded in a deep understanding of the domestic context, in a way that strengthens state authority and ensures that weapons are confined to the hands of the state while maintaining internal stability.»
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A billboard featuring a photo of Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei is seen along a street in Baghdad on March 9, 2026. (Murtadha Al-Sudani/Anadolu)
The official added that «External measures that fail to take into account the particularities of this reality may lead to counterproductive outcomes and negatively affect internal balances, which would not serve the stability efforts undertaken by Iraq and its partners, foremost among them Washington.»
The PMF is an umbrella organization of militias largely loyal to the Islamic Republic of Iran — the world’s worst state-sponsor of terrorism, according to the State Department. Members of the PMF have launched attacks on U.S. assets in Iraqi Kurdistan and against Iraqi Kurds — a valuable U.S. ally in the Mideast.
A senior Kurdish official told Fox News Digital, «The dollar pause is part of the nuclear option in the Treasury Department, and the Americans have always been reluctant to leverage it. The Iraqis, meanwhile, have been cruel to their partners — Americans and the KRG [Kurdish Regional Government], as this war has shown — and now Washington is drawing a red line.»
The Kurdish official said, «They’ve made it clear things will only get worse for Iraq if militias resume attacks against U.S. interests, including in the Kurdistan Region. It’s high time the Americans pulled this lever; for too long, it has allowed Iran to pick a premier and dictate the rules, despite repeated encouragement to veto Iran’s cut-outs in Iraq.»
Both Iraqi and Kurdish officials said the government is in flux as the differnt sides position themselves to select a new Iraqi prime minister.
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Smoke rises from the U.S. embassy building in Baghdad, Iraq, on March 14, 2026, following an attack on the diplomatic mission. (Ali Jabar/AP)
The Trump administration opposes the return of former Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki because of his close ties to Iran.
The Kurdish official stressed the role of the majority Shiite population in Iran: «In the end, though, it’s still the Shia house that chooses the premiership. They have some latitude, but ultimately, they will select a candidate acceptable to both Iran and the United States. That’s the game — and America has always reacted to Iran’s game. This time, however, Washington appears intent on influencing the outcome rather than just observing it.»
The official added, «This matters especially because Iraq depends on oil, and its proceeds are deposited in the U.S. Federal Reserve and American banks. How Washington behaves vis-à-vis those deposits influences the process and reconfigures the balance within the Shia house. It matters enormously.»
Entifadh Qanbar, a former spokesman for the deputy prime minister of Iraq, warned that there is a pressing need for the Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudan to swiftly dismantle the PMF because they represent a clear and present danger to the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad.
Iraqi Shiite men hold pictures of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during a symbolic funeral in Najaf, Iraq, on March 1, 2026. (Anmar Khalil/AP)
He told Fox News Digital, The Iraqi government also provides these groups with state identification cards, vehicles, and official government license plates under the cover of the PMF structure. This allows them to enter Baghdad’s high-security Green Zone at will and threaten the U.S. Embassy or any Iraqi state institution.»
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To underscore the dangers of the PMF, the U.S. Department of Justice announced on Monday a $10 million bounty on the terrorist leader of the pro-Iranian militia Harakat Ansar Allah al-Awfiya (HAAA).
The U.S. embassy on Monday wrote on X that the pro-Iran militia «Harakat Ansar Allah al-Awfiya (HAAA) terrorists have launched attacks across Iraq and the region, including the April 8 ambush of U.S. diplomats near the Baghdad International Airport. HAAA terrorists continue to undermine Iraqi sovereignty while threatening the safety and security of both Iraqi and U.S. civilians. We will not tolerate attacks on U.S. interests and expect all measures will be taken to dismantle Iran-aligned terrorist militia groups in Iraq.»
war with iran, iraq, counter terrorism, iran, sanctions
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