Once touted as privately funded, Republicans sneak in taxpayer cash for Trump's ballroom project

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. ©2026 FOX News Network, LLC. All rights reserved. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Market data provided by Factset. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Legal Statement. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by LSEG. Senator Rand Paul, R-Ky., discusses his bill to ensure a privately funded, secure White House ballroom following a recent shooting incident. Senate Republicans tucked an eye-popping figure into funding for security measures tied to President Donald Trump's ballroom, a project the administration once touted as being completely privately funded. The GOP released legislation for its immigration enforcement-focused reconciliation package late Monday night, setting the total spending at $72 billion. But it also included $1 billion in taxpayer funding for security enhancements related to the ballroom addition to the White House. Republicans had largely kept an arm’s length distance from the project, which Trump first announced last year. The construction drew criticism over the demolition of the East Wing and the flow of outside funding, which the administ