Editors at National Review Online critique the president’s plan for funding his proposed White House ballroom.
The plan by President Trump to add a ballroom to the White House never should have been made into a scandal. The space is replacing a few outdated offices. Trump has been accused of grandiosity in this effort. But previous presidents have altered the White House to suit their hobbies or need for exercise, whether it was Dwight Eisenhower’s putting green on the South Lawn or Theodore Roosevelt’s tennis court. What Trump proposes is not just personal but practical for the country. The White House regularly ends up hosting events, including state dinners, under a makeshift tent. Like the resort host that he is, the president has a better experience in mind. The proposed space, designed by a traditional architect of great accomplishment, is fit for the purpose.
In short, it shouldn’t be controversial to meet the need for a dignified space to host events and dinners in which the White House can effectively control security. Hijacking part of the congressional budget to fund this project, though, is a different matter.
The Senate Homeland Security Committee is currently considering the text of the Senate’s next budget reconciliation bill, which will fund immigration-enforcement operations. Included in the bill is $1 billion for the Secret Service to provide security enhancements to the new White House ballroom. The matter may get kicked over to the judiciary committee before it gets to the Senate floor, where dissident Republican Thom Tillis says “a lot of questions [have] to be answered” before he can approve the funding. Those questions are appropriate.
While Congress has typically funded major renovations to the White House where it concerns the main structure and its basic operation, when it comes to decorating the White House or making additions, private donors have increasingly stepped in. …
… Republicans don’t want to face election-year ads in which gas prices are rising and voters are reporting tightened budgets, but taxpayer funds are being used to make the White House a little more like Mar-a-Lago.
