DeLauro Statement on Trump’s Ballroom for Billionaires

Today, Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (CT-03) released a statement on President Trump's ballroom for billionaires:

"President Trump's priorities could not be more clear--while 20 million Americans are about to lose their healthcare, he takes hundreds of millions of dollars from his billionaire friends to build himself a ballroom.

"Right now, millions of American families are going hungry due to President Trump's decision to withhold SNAP benefits. Federal employees are about to miss their third paycheck. Travelers are worried about the safety of their flights due to air traffic control disruptions. And the President is building himself a ballroom, twice the size of the existing White House, which has ballooned in cost from $200 to $300 million over just the past few weeks.

"The White House claims this vanity project is 'privately funded' by donations-which just means that companies like Google, Palantir, Amazon and Comcast now have yet another way to buy favor and influence in the Trump Administration. NVIDIA, a computer chip company that makes advanced AI processors, donated $10 million to the ballroom project, and now Trump is suggesting he will allow NVIDIA to sell these advanced chips to China for billions upon billions in profits - surrendering the U.S.'s competitive edge in AI to our largest competitor. There are dozens more corrupt bargains like this taking shape with every donation.

"To make room for this monstrosity, the President demolished the historic East Wing of the White House, which housed the First Lady's office, and where the American people visiting the White House for tours entered the building. He did this without consulting anyone, in contrast with how past improvements to the White House have been made. In fact, this week he fired every member of the Commission of Fine Arts that oversees presidential construction projects to ensure he could move forward without any real oversight. This is a piece of our collective history, torn down without permission, for a vanity project.

"Selling out America, and American families, to build a golden ballroom to host his billionaire friends and donors is just the latest scheme of the most corrupt President in history. This ballroom will be nothing more than a gigantic 'for sale' sign on the side of the People's House."