'Betrayal of the American people': Pramila Jayapal slams Republicans seeking $1 billion for ballroom

Rep. Pramila Jayapal slammed Republicans on Tuesday, decrying their decision to allot $1 billion for the White House ballroom project. Taking to X, Jayapal wrote that Americans were struggling to afford groceries and healthcare, and called the allotment of funds a "betrayal of the American people.” Her comments come as President Donald Trump said that his priority in Iran doesn't concern the financial situation of American citizens before heading out for his state visit to China.

According to a report in Axios, Secret Service Director Sean Curran explained the costs that would be covered by a billion dollars earmarked in a GOP reconciliation package. $220 million would go towards tightening security around the White House complex, $180 million would go toward a visitor security screening facility, $175 million would be allotted for Secret Service training, another $175 million would go towards improving security for Secret Service protectees, $150 million would be used by the Secret Service for state-of-the-art technology threats, and $100 million would be used for security at "high-profile national events."

The funding focuses on the safety of White House officials and the Secret Service for the most part. Calls for President Trump's East Wing ballroom intensified after the White House Correspondents' Dinner shooting incident, when many labelled it a matter of national security. "We do need enhanced security measures. This isn't for the ballroom. It's for the security on the White House facilities, and that's a critically important thing that we have to protect going forward," House Speaker Mike Johnson said in a recent interview on Fox News.

However, as per a report in The Hill, some GOP Senators have questions over such a big ask for funds from the White House. John Curtis, a Republican Senator from Utah, said that he had some tough questions before approving the funds. "I don't have the details I need to support it. It was one thing when private dollars were building it. If you're asking me for a billion dollars, I have some really hard questions," he said. "If I were a businessman and an employee came and said, 'I have a project, and it's a billion dollars,' I'd say, 'You made that number up.' Like, where did the number come from? I want to see data."

He is not the only one questioning the White House's request. Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Susan Collins said that she expected the President to stick to his word and fund the ballroom with public funds. However, she was surprised when Congress was asked for $1 billion for the same project. "I have no idea where the billion-dollar figure came from, but it should not be used for building the ballroom. It's my understanding there's going to be a bunker underneath the ballroom," she said.

The billion dollars for the White House was part of the reconciliation bill that would also fund immigration agencies like ICE and the CBP. Democrats have long been opposed to the plan, and that opposition has grown in recent days as a billion dollars of taxpayer money was going to be used for it. Rep. Mike Levin delivered a scathing criticism of the same on X, claiming that millions of Americans would not get health insurance coverage or SNAP benefits as the Trump administration focused on a "gilded ballroom."