'You're failing': Maxine Dexter slams Doug Burgum for not opposing President's 'vanity projects'

President Donald Trump faced significant blowback this week in the wake of reports suggesting that the budget of his Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool had gone over by seven times. It was repeatedly brought up by Democratic lawmakers who grilled Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum during a tense hearing before the House Natural Resources Committee. Rep. Maxine Dexter tore into Burgum, accusing him of prioritizing Trump's "vanity projects" while cutting the budget of the National Park Service. 

In the hearing, the Democratic Congresswoman criticized the White House renovations and questioned Burgum about reports that taxpayers could ultimately end up paying over $1 billion for the construction of a new White House ballroom in the East Wing and related security upgrades. "The president's vanity projects are so out of control that they now require their own budget," Dexter scathed. She then questioned why Burgum allowed cuts to the budget of the National Parks Service by 32% or roughly $1 billion and did not stand up to Trump over the renovation projects. "When is it enough? At what point do you tell Trump no?" she questioned. 

The list of projects proposed by Trump include the 250-foot-tall "Independence Arch" that could cost as much as $100 million, according to Axios; the East Wing ballroom, Trump initially said, would cost $200 million, and be privately funded, but Senate Republicans are requesting Congress to approve $1 billion for "security adjustments and upgrades" as part of a larger $72 billion immigration enforcement package. Meanwhile, the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool renovations, which Trump said would cost roughly $1 to $2 million, are at least $12 million over his initial estimate, as the administration chose to paint it "American Flag Blue," according to Forbes. 

When Dexter questioned Burgum on the reflecting pool, he claimed it wasn't a paint job but that a lining was being installed as the pool leaked 40,000 gallons of water a day.

Dexter then refocused on the $1 billion budget demand, referring to the record staff reductions at the National Parks Service and the proposed $900 million cut to its operations budget. "If you put this $1 billion toward our national parks instead of Trump's ballroom, you could avoid that cut. That would benefit every single American," she said. Burgum responded, saying it was a "false trade off," but Dexter responded, "I think we've heard all we need to hear today. You are failing to stand up for the American people."  

Meanwhile, throughout his testimony, Burgum rejected the projects as vanity efforts tied to Trump's personal legacy, claiming the nation's 250th anniversary celebrations were the reason behind the budget items. He argued that the ballroom project wasn't just for Trump, as future administrations would also benefit from it. While Burgum defended the President's projects, MS Now reported that many GOP lawmakers, too, are raising concerns over approving the provision for the $1 billion request for security enhancements.