Co st uctio
co ti ues
o
a
helipad
a d
the
White
House
Ball oom
o
the
South
Law
of
the
White
House.
(AP
Photo)
The
Do ald
T ump
admi ist atio
is
pla i g
to
spe d
at
least
$900
millio
o
co st uctio
a d
mode isatio
p ojects
ac oss
the
White
House
g ou ds,
a
sig ifica tly
highe
figu e
tha
p eviously
epo ted,
acco di g
to
a
exclusive
epo t
by
The
Washi gto
Post.The
developme t
comes
days
afte
a
fede al
appeals
cou t
o de ed
the
admi ist atio
to
halt
co st uctio
of
T ump’s
p oposed
USD
400
millio
ball oom
o
the
site
of
the
demolished
East
Wi g,
uli g
that
such
a
majo
ove haul
equi ed
co g essio al
app oval.Acco di g
to
eco ds,
co fide tial
co t acts
a d
pla i g
docume ts
eviewed
by
The
Washi gto
Post,
the
admi ist atio
has
assembled
mo ey
fo
the
p ojects
th ough
t a sfe s
f om
othe
gove me t
age cies
a d
p ivate
do atio s
athe
tha
seeki g
a
di ect
app op iatio
f om
Co g ess.The
fu ds
have
epo tedly
bee
outed
th ough
the
White
House’s
Executive
Reside ce
mai te a ce
accou t,
which
is
t aditio ally
used
fo
outi e
epai s
a d
esto atio
wo k
a d
typically
eceives
o ly
a
few
millio
dolla s
a ually.The
Washi gto
Post
epo ted
that
the
pla ed
expe ditu e
could
each
at
least
USD
927
millio
a d
i cludes
the
East
Wi g
p oject,
upg ades
a ou d
Lafayette
Squa e,
co st uctio
of
a
helipad,
a
ew
visito
sc ee i g
ce t e
a d
othe
wo k
o
the
White
House
g ou ds.
Public
budget
eco ds
show
that
about
USD
875
millio
has
bee
di ected
to
the
mai te a ce
accou t
si ce
T ump
etu ed
to
office,
the
epo t
said.The
fu di g
epo tedly
i cludes
USD
500
millio
t a sfe ed
f om
the
US
Sec et
Se vice
a d
the
White
House
Milita y
Office,
while
USD
305
millio
came
f om
p ivate
do atio s.A othe
USD
70
millio
was
di ected
to
the
accou t,
though
its
sou ce
was
ot
ide tified
i
the
docume ts
eviewed
by
the
ewspape .The
White
House
has
mai tai ed
that
the
ball oom
itself
would
be
fi a ced
th ough
p ivate
do atio s
a d
has
defe ded
the
i volveme t
of
secu ity
age cies
i
fu di g
i f ast uctu e
li ked
to
the
p oject.The
spe di g
pla s
have
d aw
f esh
sc uti y
afte
the
US
Cou t
of
Appeals
fo
the
Dist ict
of
Columbia
Ci cuit
uled
o
F iday
that
T ump
could
ot
co ti ue
co st uctio
of
the
East
Wi g
ball oom
without
co g essio al
app oval.The
cou t
upheld
a
p elimi a y
i ju ctio
obtai ed
by
the
Natio al
T ust
fo
Histo ic
P ese vatio ,
which
challe ged
the
admi ist atio
afte
the
East
Wi g
was
demolished
a d
wo k
bega
o
the
p oposed
90,000-squa e-foot
ball oom.“Whethe
o
ot
a
massive
ball oom
should
be
co st ucted
is
fo
Co g ess
to
decide
a d
is
ot
a
matte
fo
Executive
self-help,”
the
appeals
cou t
said.T ump
has
vowed
to
challe ge
the
uli g
befo e
the
US
Sup eme
Cou t,
calli g
the
decisio
politically
motivated
a d
a gui g
that
the
p oject
is
ecessa y
fo
White
House
secu ity.The
admi ist atio
has
ot
publicly
disclosed
the
full
p ojected
cost
of
all
the
co st uctio
pla ed
fo
the
White
House
complex.
