***Video*** Blumenthal Delivers Opening Statement at Bicameral Forum on Trump Vanity Projects

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Today, U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (PSI), delivered an opening statement at a public forum on Donald Trump's wasteful spending on his vanity projects throughout the nation's capital, including the White House ballroom, Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, Triumphal Arch, and renaming of the Kennedy Center. Blumenthal convened the forum alongside U.S. Representative Robert Garcia (D-CA), Ranking Member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

The forum, "Monumental Waste: How Donald Trump Is Spending Millions Destroying American Landmarks," highlighted the blatant corruption surrounding the various projects the President has advanced and called attention to Trump's efforts to use taxpayer dollars to leave an indelible imprint on our nation's capital.

"Donald Trump has embarked on a series of 18 vanity projects costing more than $1 billion. Corruption has consequences. Corruption has costs, and we are seeing the costs in dollars and cents, but also the desecration of iconic national monuments that symbolize America on this 250th anniversary of our great country," Blumenthal said at the forum.

Blumenthal underscored the ballooning costs associated with the President's projects: "Donald Trump's taste for gilded excesses has long been known, but over the past year, we ought to be shocked how far he is willing to go… The East Wing renovation, as it was called, has ballooned in cost from $200 million to $400 million, and now to $600 million in a no-bid, single-source contract with Clark Construction. The Reflecting Pool, which itself is a disaster, and now empty and fenced off from the public, has gone on to cost a total so far of more than $17 million."

Blumenthal continued, "He's treated the entire capital as his personal Versailles, a palace on the Potomac. He's destroyed a full wing of the White House, repainted the Reflecting Pool, shuttered the Kennedy Center, and he's planning to build a massive arch to glorify himself. Meanwhile, he's consistently refused to do anything to help the American people with the struggles they face, whether it be extending the ACA subsidies, providing funding for SNAP, or simply signing a housing bill that passed congress with overwhelming support."

Blumenthal continued, "These actions aren't the hallmark of a president. They are more like hallmarks of an authoritarian dictator who is only concerned about himself and not the people he was elected to serve, and the people profiting are Trump cronies who are paid inflated sums from taxpayer dollars through shady, no-bid contracts for work they are not qualified to do."

"These actions are a microcosm of how the President views our whole country. He expects all of us to glorify him at every failing act, and pay money to his friends and family whenever they ask, even while everyday Americans struggle to meet the needs of life. That's not the America our founders fought for 250 years ago. It's the America they sought to prevent through the emoluments clause-which forbids benefits going to the president-and it's not the America we want to live in today," Blumenthal concluded.

Today's forum featured testimony from U.S. Representative Joyce Beatty (D-OH), ex-officio trustee of the Kennedy Center; Ben Folds, musician and former residency holder at the Kennedy Center; Amb. Norm Eisen (ret.), co-founder and board member of Democracy Defenders Action; Jimi Shaughnessy, combat veteran; and Jon Gollinger, Democracy Advocate at Public Citizen.

A video of Blumenthal's opening statement is available here. The full transcript of his remarks is available below.

U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT): To our witnesses, thank you for being here. To Representative Garcia, Ranking Member of the House Oversight Committee and my wonderful colleague Senator Whitehouse, who has been instrumental in the topic that brings us here today. We're here for another important hearing and investigation into the Trump Administration's brazen, unprecedented corruption and disregard for the American people. As we all know, every day, Americans are struggling to make ends meet, put food on the table, buy gasoline, and most everything else. Donald Trump has embarked on a series of 18 vanity projects costing more than $1 billion. Corruption has consequences. Corruption has costs, and we are seeing the costs in dollars and cents, but also the desecration of iconic national monuments that symbolize America at this 250th anniversary of our great country.

Donald Trump's taste for gilded excesses has long been known, but over the past year, we ought to be shocked how far he is willing to go. And let me just quickly outline for you how bills have ballooned and quality has cratered. The East Wing renovation, as it was called, has ballooned in cost from $200 million to $400 million, and now $600 million in a no-bid contract, single-source with Clark Construction. The Reflecting Pool, which itself is a disaster, and now empty and fenced off from the public, has gone to a total so far of more than $17 million. But the work has to be redone, so likely that cost will be doubled.

Lafayette Park, which originally was supposed to cost $3.3 million, is now again with Clark Construction at a cost of $17 million. And the reflecting pool was a no source single source noncompetitive, no bid contract with Green Water Services, which is owned by a Trump donor. In fact, that donor has given to Trump's campaign and other projects more than half a million dollars. Those are just some of the projects we see underway. I want to go back to last October, when President Trump announced on Truth Social that he was remodeling the Lincoln bedroom and most particularly the Lincoln bathroom of the White House in, quote, polished statutory marble. Of course, he didn't tell us how much the renovation was going to cost, but estimates suggest that it has put burdens on taxpayers of about $1.6 million. And that was just the beginning. In the months since, he's treated the entire capitol as his personal Versailles, a palace on the Potomac, he's destroyed a full wing of the White House, repainted the reflecting pool, shuttered the Kennedy Center name, and he's planning to build a massive arc to glorify himself.

Meanwhile, he's consistently refused to do anything to help the American people with the struggles they face, whether it be extending the ACA subsidies, providing funding for SNAP, or simply signing a housing bill that passed Congress with overwhelming support. These actions aren't the hallmark of a president. They are more like hallmarks of an authoritarian dictator who is only concerned about himself and not the people he was elected to serve, and the people profiting are Trump cronies who are paid inflated sums from taxpayer dollars through shady, no bid contracts for work they are not qualified to do. When the American people aren't overpaying Trump or his friends directly, major companies are getting rich with contracts awarded or lawsuits dropped after they make donations in untold millions. This story of corruption has human costs as well. President Trump wants to be king. He doesn't care who gets hurt or lost along the way. Arlington National Cemetery is hallowed ground. It's hallowed ground for all Americans, not just veterans. It's a solemn resting place with a view overlooking the Lincoln Memorial in recognition of what servicemen and women give or have given to our country. President Trump wants to desecrate Arlington by building a massive arc in tribute to himself, which will cast an imposing shadow over that sacred place. The American people have lost a bipartisan, bipartisan cultural touchstone, and artists across the country have lost a place that should be recognized for their achievement without regard to political affiliation.

The East Wing of the White house stood for over a century as a place where ordinary Americans entered a tour of the house built for presidents. The people's house, our house to reside as custodians of our shared history. They're not the owners. They live there for a while. They're temporary occupants. But President Trump knocked it down as though he were the owner, to construct a massive, ornate ballroom that we now hear the American people are supposed to contribute hundreds of millions of dollars to construct. He promised it was going to be funded all privately. Indeed, tens of millions were raised from companies that have business before the government. Of those donors, more than half have received new contracts or expanded the ones they have now. Pay to play is the M.O. here.

These actions are a microcosm of how the President views our whole country. He expects all of us to glorify him at every failing act, and pay money to his friends and family whenever they ask, even while everyday Americans struggle to meet the needs of life. That's not the America our founders fought for 250 years ago. It's the America they sought to prevent through the emoluments clause-which forbids benefits going to the president-and it's not the America we want to live in today. I turn to Representative Garcia for his remarks.

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