Duckworth, Schiff, Senate Democrats Demand Answers on Financing of President Trump's White House Ballroom

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) joined U.S. Senator Adam Schiff (D-CA) and 10 of their Senate Democratic colleagues in launching a new push for answers into the financing of Donald Trump's White House ballroom, which includes private donations from individuals and corporations whose business interests are directly impacted by the administration and its decisions. In a letter to White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles following the recent release of a list of donors, Duckworth, Schiff and the lawmakers emphasize that the Trump administration's approach to financing the ballroom raises troubling questions about the potential for influence peddling and other forms of corruption.

"To assess possible conflicts of interest and violations of law and ethics obligations, Congress and the American public deserve meaningful transparency. We, therefore, request a complete accounting of all donations to the White House ballroom construction project, including the conditions under which contributions were made," wrote the Senators.

The Senators are requesting all information related to the ballroom's financing, including the amount of each financial contribution and which donors have existing business-applications for federal contracts, ongoing litigation and pending regulatory approvals-with the federal government. The Senators are also seeking information about whether the President or any Executive Branch official sought guidance from ethics officials on whether it is permissible to accept private donations, and about any guardrails the administration put in place to ensure donors don't have unfair access to the President or members of his administration as a result of their contribution to the ballroom.

"Among these donors are corporations recently awarded federal contracts worth millions of dollars in revenue, many with close ties to administration officials. These circumstances risk blatant corruption as these companies and their stakeholders seek to position themselves in the government's good graces," the Senators continued.

In addition to Duckworth and Schiff, the letter was cosigned by U.S. Senators Alex Padilla (D-CA), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Angela D. Alsobrooks (D-MD), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Jon Ossoff (D-GA), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Jack Reed (D-RI), Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Peter Welch (D-VT).

A copy of the letter is avaliable below and on Senator Duckworth's website.

Dear Ms. Wiles:

We write to express serious concerns regarding President Trump's financing of the new White House ballroom construction project through private donations from individuals and corporations whose business interests are deeply impacted by the Administration and its decisions. The cost of this project, which the Administration is carrying out in secret without congressional or other oversight or appropriate public scrutiny, is now expected to exceed $300 million. The recently released list of corporate and individual donors who contributed to a private trust funding the construction of President Trump's new 90,000-square-foot ballroom has raised troubling questions about the potential for influence peddling and other forms of corruption. To assess possible conflicts of interest and violations of law and ethics obligations, Congress and the American public deserve meaningful transparency. We, therefore, request a complete accounting of all donations to the White House ballroom construction project, including the conditions under which contributions were made.

Court documents state that President Trump is collecting these donated funds through the Trust for the National Mall, a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt entity "dedicated to restoring, preserving, and elevating the National Mall, to support the construction of the White House State Ballroom." However, the structure and conditions under which donors have contributed to this entity - including the amount or terms of their contributions - remain unclear. The opaque nature of this scheme reinforces concern that President Trump is again selling presidential access to individuals or entities, including foreign nationals and corporate actors, with vested interests in federal action, often while personally enriching himself and his family.

Many of the donors listed by the White House as contributors to the ballroom construction project have frequent business before the federal government in the form of contracts, pending regulatory approvals, litigation, and enforcement actions. Among these donors are corporations recently awarded federal contracts worth millions of dollars in revenue, many with close ties to administration officials.9 These circumstances risk blatant corruption as these companies and their stakeholders seek to position themselves in the government's good graces.

Longtime political donors and allies of the President, including some current Administration officials, have also donated to the ballroom in their personal capacities. On October 15, 2025, President Trump held a candlelit "thank you" dinner in the East Room of the White House for donors. At this dinner, the President suggested that those who contributed financially to the ballroom's construction may be among the first guests of the new project "if we still like you at that time."

Additionally, a large source of funding for the President's Trust for the National Mall appears to come directly from the $24.5 million settlement Alphabet, Inc. recently paid in a legal dispute with the President, $22 million of which the company committed to the ballroom's construction. This channeling of such funds highlights how the administration has sought to exert undue influence on corporate settlements in exchange for favorable regulatory treatment.

In order to conduct our constitutional oversight responsibilities and to ensure transparency to the American public, we are requesting the following information by November 5, 2025:

1. Provide a complete list of all individual and corporate donors that have contributed, including to the Trust for the National Mall or indirectly, to the White House ballroom construction project and the amount and date of each contribution.
2. Provide a detailed description of any terms under which such contributions were made.
3. Provide a complete list of all of the aforementioned donors who have, or hold a financial stake in any entity that has, any business, interests, or matters pending before the federal government.
4. Provide a complete list of all donors who have, or hold a financial stake in any entity that has, existing federal contracts or any applications or pending bids for federal contracts currently under review or consideration.
5. Provide a complete list of all donors who have, or hold a financial stake in any entity that has, pending regulatory approvals before any federal agency.
6. Provide a complete list of all individual and corporate donors who are parties to, or hold a financial stake in any entity that is a party to, litigation or enforcement actions involving the federal government initiated on or after January 20, 2021.
7. Provide all records and correspondence between the President or any Executive Branch officials and any of the aforementioned donors, prior to or since their donation, in which a direct or indirect reference was made to the President's construction of the ballroom.
8. Who, if anyone, advised the President or any Executive Branch officials regarding the solicitation or acceptance of private donations related to the White House ballroom construction project?
9. Did the President or any Executive Branch officials seek guidance from the Office of Government Ethics or the White House's designated ethics official regarding whether it is permissible to accept private donations related to the White House ballroom construction project?
10. If so, provide all related records and correspondence.
11. What guardrails, if any, has the Administration put in place to ensure that companies and individuals who contribute, including to the Trust for the National Mall or indirectly, to the White House ballroom construction project do not have unfair access to the President or members of his administration?

We look forward to reviewing your responses.

cc: The Honorable Gene Dodaro, Comptroller General of the United States, U.S. Government Accountability Office

-30-