Blumenthal Demands Answers From Trump's Hand-Picked Construction Firm For Withholding True Cost of White House Ballroom

[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Ranking Member of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (PSI), today demanded records and information from Clark Construction, the construction firm working on President Donald Trump's White House ballroom project in light of reporting from The Washington Post that the cost of the project has ballooned to $600 million.

As Ranking Member of PSI, Blumenthal is leading an investigation into President Trump's East Wing Project. In October, he pressed Clark Construction for answers about the firm's involvement in the project and the terms of its contract with the White House.

Citing Clark Construction's response to his initial inquiry, Blumenthal wrote, "Clark Construction's response was entirely inadequate, providing no answers regarding the circumstances under which it was selected, the terms of its contracts, or the estimated costs of the project. Yet recent reporting reveals that your own internal estimate for the White House ballroom construction and East Wing demolition project has risen to $600 million, with taxpayers responsible for more than half of the total costs."

Blumenthal continued, "The President has repeatedly and continuously asserted that the project would be completed without cost to taxpayers. The President has also been forced to repeatedly revise the expected cost of the project, first presenting an estimate of $200 million in July 2025, then $300 million in October 2025, and then $400 million in December 2025. This week's revelations seem to show that the President was lying to the American public at every turn. Cost estimates obtained by The Washington Post indicate that your cost estimates for the project, which had been provided to the White House from the inception of the project, were always higher than the President admitted to the public and always contemplated the use of substantial taxpayer funds."

The full text of Blumenthal's letter to Clark Construction is available here and below.

June 17, 2026

VIA EMAIL

Robert D. Moser Jr.

Chief Executive Officer

Clark Construction Group, LLC

7500 Old Georgetown Road, Suite 200

Bethesda, Maryland 20814

Dear Mr. Moser:

On October 28, 2025, I wrote to Clark Construction requesting information regarding its selection as the lead builder of President Trump's ballroom.^[1] Clark Construction's response was entirely inadequate, providing no answers regarding the circumstances under which it was selected, the terms of its contracts, or the estimated costs of the project.^[2] Yet recent reporting reveals that your own internal estimate for the White House ballroom construction and East Wing demolition project has risen to $600 million, with taxpayers responsible for more than half of the total costs.^[3] I therefore write to reiterate my October 28 requests and seek additional information about the ballooning costs and scope of this project as part of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations' ongoing inquiry into President Trump's White House demolition project.

The President has repeatedly and continuously asserted that the project would be completed without cost to taxpayers. The President has also been forced to repeatedly revise the expected cost of the project, first presenting an estimate of $200 million in July 2025, then $300 million in October 2025, and then $400 million in December 2025. ^[4] This week's revelations seem to show that the President was lying to the American public at every turn. Cost estimates obtained by the Washington Post indicate that your cost estimates for the project, which had been provided to the White House from the inception of the project, were always higher than the President admitted to the public and always contemplated the use of substantial taxpayer funds. These cost estimates have now reportedly ballooned once again to $600 million. The scope of this project has apparently also expanded, reportedly to include a bunker with bomb shelters and major medical facilities.^[5] The President's claims underscore the importance of Clark Construction's cooperation with the Subcommittee's inquiry.

As Clark Construction has failed to produce any meaningful information in response to my October 28, 2025 letter, I reiterate those requests, including but not limited to my request that Clark Construction provide the Subcommittee with monthly updates on cost estimates for the White House construction project. In addition, please confirm that Clark Construction has and will continue to preserve all documents, records,^[6] and communications^[7] related to the planning, financing, and construction of the White House ballroom and East Wing, as requested in my October 28 letter.

Additionally, please provide responses to the following questions by July 1, 2026:

1. When did Clark Construction first become aware that the White House ballroom and East Wing demolition project would likely exceed the initial $200 million cost estimate?
2. When did Clark Construction become aware that taxpayer funds would be needed to complete the construction of the White House ballroom?
3. Did Clark Construction propose plans that would have met the President's original stated budget, or were otherwise limited to the total amount raised by private donations? If so, please provide a description of those plans and why they were not implemented.
4. At what point did the project's scope expand to include a bunker, hospital facilities, and other major additions? What impact did those additions have on the project's overall cost and anticipated funding scheme?

Please contact the Subcommittee if you have any questions about responding to these requests.

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