'It needs to happen': Lindsey Graham pushes for bill to fund Trump's $400 ballroom project

Following a shooting at the White House Correspondents' Dinner that President Donald Trump ​was attending, Republicans in the U.S. Congress are pushing for legislation to speed up and fund the White House ballroom project. Citing serious national security concerns, Senate Budget Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and two fellow Republicans announced a bill on Monday to mainly finance the construction of the $400 million using taxpayers' money. The bill now faces major hurdles, as Democrats have long opposed the construction of the ballroom, and the issue has landed in court.

In the wake of the shooting, social media was soon filled with Republicans and GOP supporters making a case for the ballroom project, claiming the new building is vital for national security. Senator Lindsey Graham, along with senators Eric Schmitt and Katie Britt, announced that they have crafted a bill that would fund the construction and offset costs by using customs and national parks user fees, Reuters reported. "The times in which we live are unusual. I've been up here for a while now. I've never felt the sense of threat that exists today," Graham told reporters.

The Senator added that he would like the vote to happen as soon as possible to accelerate what America needs: "A secure facility for the President and others to meet in, to have a good time, to ​enjoy themselves without putting the nation at risk." Graham added that the ballroom will have "a lot of military stuff" ​underneath, including a Secret Service annex. As the bill is in contradiction to Trump's initial claims of the construction being completely funded by private donors, the Senator said the donations could be used for "buying china and stuff like that." As per his statement, a total of $332 million in taxpayer funds would be paid for by using "customs fees" on imported goods.

However, Republicans don't have the support to overcome a filibuster, as Democrats are already furious over Trump tearing down the East Wing of the White House to build the ballroom, without consulting lawmakers or planning preservation boards. The National Trust for Historic Preservation (NTHP) took the matter to court, and on March 31, a federal judge said the construction could only go forward if Congress approved it. However, earlier this month, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia allowed the construction to go ahead until the next hearing on June 5, after the White House appealed, BBC reported.

The shooting seems to have given the White House additional reasons to push for the construction of the ballroom, as the US Department of Justice has used it to pressure the preservation group to drop the lawsuit. On Sunday night, acting attorney general, Todd Blanche, shared a letter to lawyers representing the Trust, calling their lawsuit "frivolous."

The letter demanded that the organization voluntarily withdraw the case or face a new dismissal motion from the DOJ. In response to the letter, the non-profit organization on Monday said that it will not drop its lawsuit, despite the pressure, through an official statement.