President Donald Trump’s colossal ballroom could be backed by hundreds of millions in taxpayer money, and after months of the president declaring that it was completely privately funded, lawmakers aren’t happy. 

A report from the Washington Post found that estimates for Trump’s 90,000-square-foot ballroom had skyrocketed to $600 million. Of that, about half would come from taxpayer-funded sources. 

Both Republicans and Democrats had already drawn a sharp line against dipping into taxpayer funds to pay for the project earlier this year when confronted with tacking on roughly $220 million in security enhancement funding for the ballroom through budget reconciliation. 

TRUMP DEMANDS SENATE PARLIAMENTARIAN’S OUSTER FOR AXING BALLROOM SECURITY FUNDING

«We have to have a serious conversation about the benefit to the taxpayers, right? If taxpayers aren’t paying for it, it’s a different bar, but if they’re paying for it, we have to have a totally different conversation,» Sen. John Curtis, R-Utah, said. «Is that how they want their money spent?»

The Post’s report, published Tuesday, reviewed documents between the White House and Clark Construction, a McLean, Va.-based company leading the construction of the ballroom, dating back over the last several months. 

A project summary from March 5 detailed that the ballroom, which Trump initially said would cost $100 million, would clock in at $600 million. 

Of that, $293 million was expected to come from private donors. The remaining $307 million was to come from the Secret Service, White House Military Office and Executive Residence. All three are funded by taxpayers.

SENATE REPUBLICAN THREATENS TO DERAIL ICE, BORDER PATROL PACKAGE OVER TRUMP’S BILLION-DOLLAR REQUEST

When asked the veracity of the reported figures, Clark Construction referred Fox News Digital to the White House and noted that all project information was confidential. 

White House spokesman Davis Ingle did not deny the figures in a statement and 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,» Ingle 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 attempted 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,» he continued. 

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said he had not yet seen the report but noted that it would be a «different narrative than what we’ve heard.»

SENATE REPUBLICANS BALK AT $1B WHITE HOUSE BALLROOM REQUEST: ‘YOU MADE THAT NUMBER UP’

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., and Senate Republicans advanced a Trump-backed funding deal out of the Senate with the help of Senate Democrats in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 28, 2028. (Nathan Posner/Anadolu)

«I think there’s a rationale, particularly when it comes to the security parts of this to keep that place safe we need to be responsible for,» Thune said. «I just don’t know enough about how it’s being used — what it’s being used for.»

Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., said he would prefer the ballroom to be paid for with private funding but was open to dipping into taxpayer dollars if the goal was to «make it safer, protect the president.» 

When asked if he or other Republicans were contacted by the White House about the use of taxpayer money for the ballroom, Scott said, «No.» 

«You’d have to, and you know you’d think it’d have to come up over here for funding, and I haven’t seen anything yet,» Scott said.

Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., said lawmakers had seen this situation before with another project: the renovations to the Federal Reserve’s headquarters going over budget that spurred, in part, a public feud with former Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. 

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«I think when you move quickly, that’s when mistakes are made,» Tillis said. 

«It’s not surprising that the estimates were up.
I have the same view about the Arch,» he continued, referring to Trump’s proposed United States Triumphal Arch. «You know, we think it’s gonna be $25 million. I don’t know what the number is right now, but my guess is it’s gonna be a lot more than that.» 

«And we ought to be very thoughtful, go through the process versus fitting things into arbitrary timeframes,» he added. «Never works out.»

Some Republicans shrugged off the report, largely because it was produced by the Washington Post.

Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, said, «You lost me at Washington Post.» 

«I have no idea,» Moreno said. «Do I trust the Washington Post? No, but it does — when you have a cat litter situation, and you don’t want it to spill, newspapers serve a really good purpose.»

Se espera que Estados Unidos e Irán firmen formalmente un memorando de entendimiento el viernes en Suiza, lo que allanará el camino para 60 días de conversaciones destinadas a poner fin a su guerra definitivamente y establecer nuevos límites estrictos al programa nuclear de Irán.

A continuación se presenta el texto del borrador del memorando de 14 puntos, según lo visto por Bloomberg News.

La agencia de noticias iraní Tasnim citó el miércoles a un funcionario anónimo que afirmaba que partes del texto publicado por Bloomberg son inexactas. El informe no especificó cuáles eran las diferencias. Bloomberg informó previamente que podría haber diferencias en la redacción entre las versiones en inglés y en persa del memorando.

La República Islámica de Irán y Estados Unidos, junto con sus aliados en la guerra actual, declaran tras la firma de este Memorando de Entendimiento el fin inmediato y permanente de la guerra en todos los frentes, incluido el Líbano, y se comprometen a que, a partir de ahora, no lanzarán ninguna acción hostil contra el otro y se abstendrán de la amenaza o el uso de la fuerza contra el otro. El acuerdo final confirmará las disposiciones de este Artículo y de los restantes.

La República Islámica de Irán y Estados Unidos se comprometen a respetar la soberanía e integridad territorial del otro, y a abstenerse de interferir en los asuntos internos del otro.

La República Islámica de Irán y Estados Unidos se comprometen a negociar y alcanzar un acuerdo final en un plazo máximo de 60 días, prorrogable por mutuo consentimiento.

Inmediatamente después de la firma de este Memorando de Entendimiento, Estados Unidos levantará el bloqueo naval y evitará cualquier interferencia u obstrucción contra la República Islámica de Irán, y restablecerá el tráfico en un plazo máximo de 30 días a su plena capacidad; el tráfico de barcos será proporcional al volumen de tráfico anterior a la guerra por parte de la República Islámica de Irán. Estados Unidos también se compromete a retirar sus fuerzas de las áreas circundantes dentro de los 30 días posteriores al acuerdo final.

Tras la firma de este Memorando de Entendimiento, la República Islámica de Irán tomará medidas inmediatas para garantizar que el movimiento de buques mercantes desde el Golfo Pérsico hasta el Mar de Omán y viceversa se reanude en un plazo de 30 días al volumen anterior a la guerra, teniendo en cuenta la necesidad de eliminar los obstáculos técnicos y la neutralización de minas por parte de Irán.

Estados Unidos se compromete, junto con sus socios regionales, a crear un plan integral acordado por ambas partes para la rehabilitación y el desarrollo económico de la República Islámica de Irán, garantizando al mismo tiempo una financiación de al menos 300.000 millones de dólares. El mecanismo de implementación de este plan, como parte del acuerdo final, se formulará en un plazo de 60 días.

Estados Unidos se compromete a poner fin, conforme a un calendario que se acordará como parte del acuerdo final, a todo tipo de sanciones que enfrenta actualmente la República Islámica de Irán, incluidas las resoluciones del Consejo de Seguridad de las Naciones Unidas y de la Junta de Gobernadores del Organismo Internacional de Energía Atómica (OIEA), así como a todas las sanciones unilaterales de EE.UU., tanto primarias como secundarias.

La República Islámica de Irán reitera que nunca producirá armas nucleares. La República Islámica de Irán y Estados Unidos han acordado que el destino del material enriquecido y el destino de todas las demás cuestiones relacionadas con la energía nuclear acordadas mutuamente, incluidas las necesidades nucleares de Irán, serán abordados adecuadamente en un acuerdo final; el acuerdo final confirmará las disposiciones de este Artículo.

La República Islámica de Irán y Estados Unidos acuerdan que, a la espera de un acuerdo final, mantendrán el *statu quo*: Irán mantendrá el *statu quo* de su programa nuclear, y Estados Unidos no impondrá nuevas sanciones a Irán ni reforzará sus fuerzas en la región.

Estados Unidos se compromete a que, inmediatamente después de la firma de este Memorando de Entendimiento y hasta la fecha del levantamiento de las sanciones, el Departamento del Tesoro de los Estados Unidos emitirá exenciones para las exportaciones de petróleo crudo iraní, productos petroquímicos y sus derivados, y todos los servicios relacionados, incluidos los bancarios, seguros, transporte y similares.

Estados Unidos se compromete a que, a la luz del progreso de las negociaciones hacia un acuerdo final, los fondos y activos congelados o restringidos de la República Islámica de Irán serán liberados y puestos a su plena disposición. Estos fondos, ya sea que se mantengan en la cuenta maestra o se transfieran, se utilizarán para cualquier pago al beneficiario final determinado por el Banco Central de la República Islámica de Irán y estarán totalmente disponibles para su uso. Estados Unidos se compromete a emitir todos los permisos y licencias necesarios sobre esta base.

La República Islámica de Irán y Estados Unidos acuerdan establecer un mecanismo de implementación para supervisar la ejecución exitosa y el cumplimiento futuro del Acuerdo Final.

Tras la firma de este Memorando de Entendimiento, y al recibir garantías sobre el inicio de la implementación de los Artículos 4, 5, 10 y 11 de este Memorando de Entendimiento, y la implementación continua de estos pasos, la República Islámica de Irán y Estados Unidos entablarán negociaciones para un Acuerdo Final únicamente con respecto a los Artículos restantes.

El acuerdo final será aprobado mediante una resolución vinculante del Consejo de Seguridad de la ONU.

Former Vice President Kamala Harris took an apparent shot at the Trump administration’s Iran deal, saying it could hurt Republicans in the midterm elections during a public appearance at a climate summit in Vienna on Tuesday.

«This is a war the American people did not want. This is a War of Choice. This is a president who has proven himself to be entirely self-indulgent. And we will see what happens in the coming hours and days in terms of the negotiation. And really, it’s a concept of an agreement,» said Harris at the Austrian World Summit hosted by the Schwarzenegger Climate Initiative.

While Trump’s memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Iran has not been released, comparisons to former President Barack Obama’s 2015 nuclear deal have reemerged. According to administration officials, the agreement would reopen the Strait of Hormuz and require Iran to halt nuclear weapons development and support for terrorism.

GAS SURGE TIED TO IRAN CONFLICT HITS SWING STATES, TESTING TRUMP’S LOW-PRICE PITCH

Harris has seized the moment to reignite a political fight over which approach did more to curb Iran’s ambitions.

«Whatever is being negotiated, this president is going to declare victory, and we’ll end up where we were after the JCPOA and call that a victory, the JPOA that he withdrew from,» said Harris.

Republicans are entering the November midterm elections amid concerns that many Americans continue to feel the strain of elevated gas and grocery prices. Trump administration officials have repeatedly emphasized that, under the MOU, consumers are expected to see relief at the gas pump beginning this summer.

IRAN’S REGIME SPINS NUCLEAR AND STRAIT OF HORMUZ DEAL WITH TRUMP AS VICTORY OVER US, ISRAEL

Actor and former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, his partner Heather Milligan, and former Vice President Kamala Harris pose for a photo at the Austrian World Summit of the Schwarzenegger Climate Initiative in Vienna, Austria, on June 16, 2026. (Joe Klamar/AFP via Getty Images)

«There is a direct correlation between this war of choice and what has happened in terms of gas prices. It is estimated the average American has spent, since the war started, $500 more because of this war,» Harris said.

«I have no question or doubt that we will win the midterms, and it will be a result of people of every background and political association who will contribute to that outcome,» she added.

Oil prices fell on Monday to their lowest levels since early March after a preliminary U.S.-Iran agreement raised hopes that traffic through the Strait could soon return to normal.

VANCE REVEALS TRUMP LESSON GUIDING IRAN DEAL STRATEGY AS TEHRAN FACES 60-DAY DEADLINE

U.S. President Donald Trump attends a morning work meeting to «revive balanced, inclusive, and sustainable economic growth for the benefit of all» in the presence of the G7 countries, partner countries, the International Monetary Fund, and the OECD, as part of the G7 summit, in Evian, eastern France, on June 17, 2026. (Ludovic MARIN / AFP via Getty Images)

The agreement, soon to be released, would test whether Iran is willing to trade decades of isolation for economic relief and renewed ties with the West.

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The deal hinges on whether Iran can demonstrate during a 60-day negotiating period that it has abandoned its nuclear ambitions and support for terrorist organizations.