A dramatic showdown erupted on Capitol Hill as Congressman Jim McGovern accused the Trump administration of secretly directing nearly $400 million in taxpayer funds toward President Trump’s controversial White House ballroomproject.
During a heated House hearing, McGovernpresented what he called the “ballroomconstruction receipts,” citing documents from the Office of Management and Budget that allegedly show multiple transfers totaling almost $400 million. He questioned top Republican appropriators about whether they knew of the transfers and accused the administration of bypassing Congress.
The allegations have reignited debate over federal spending, congressional oversight, executive power, and the financing of major White House projects. Did the administration quietly redirect taxpayer money despite claims the project would be privately funded? Or is there another explanation behind the transfers?
Watch the full breakdown of the explosive hearing, the funding controversy, and the growing political battle in Washington.
#TrumpBallroom #WhiteHouseBallroom #JimMcGovern #TrumpFunding #TaxpayerMoney #CongressHearing #WhiteHouseProject #TrumpAdministration #CapitolHill #GovernmentSpending #FederalFunds #PoliticalShowdown #USPolitics #WashingtonDC #BreakingNews #CongressOversight #OMB #TaxpayerFunds #PoliticalNews #USNews
~PR.460~HT.408~VG.HM~
During a heated House hearing, McGovernpresented what he called the “ballroomconstruction receipts,” citing documents from the Office of Management and Budget that allegedly show multiple transfers totaling almost $400 million. He questioned top Republican appropriators about whether they knew of the transfers and accused the administration of bypassing Congress.
The allegations have reignited debate over federal spending, congressional oversight, executive power, and the financing of major White House projects. Did the administration quietly redirect taxpayer money despite claims the project would be privately funded? Or is there another explanation behind the transfers?
Watch the full breakdown of the explosive hearing, the funding controversy, and the growing political battle in Washington.
#TrumpBallroom #WhiteHouseBallroom #JimMcGovern #TrumpFunding #TaxpayerMoney #CongressHearing #WhiteHouseProject #TrumpAdministration #CapitolHill #GovernmentSpending #FederalFunds #PoliticalShowdown #USPolitics #WashingtonDC #BreakingNews #CongressOversight #OMB #TaxpayerFunds #PoliticalNews #USNews
~PR.460~HT.408~VG.HM~
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00I love what my Republican friends talk about, that they need to cut humanitarian aid programs,
00:05food aid programs, because they're worried about the debt.
00:09But nobody on the other side said a word when we passed a tax cut bill that benefited
00:17multi-millionaires and billionaires that added trillions to the debt.
00:20And last week, the week before last, we added another $70 billion to the $100 billion that
00:27ICE and CPP already have.
00:29None of it is offset.
00:31All of it goes on.
00:31No one says a word about that.
00:33But when it comes to programs to feed hungry people, all of a sudden, you know, oh, we got
00:38to tighten our belts.
00:41Let me, let me, I want to begin with, I just have a few questions.
00:44I'll try to be quick here.
00:46Let me, since you're all appropriators, this is a question that I get asked a lot during
00:51the break by my constituents.
00:52In fact, a gentleman on the airplane down here today asked me about this, and that's
00:56the president's ballroom.
00:58You know, his lavish ballroom, which he said on multiple occasions, would be 100% privately
01:04funded.
01:04I mean, he said that a million times.
01:07100% privately funded.
01:08So let me just ask you, yes, no, or maybe, do you support using taxpayer dollars to fund
01:18President Trump's ballroom?
01:21Ms. Kaptur?
01:23Do you support using taxpayer funding to fund the ballroom?
01:30No, Mr. Ranking Member, I do not.
01:34Ms. Frankel?
01:36No.
01:37Mr. Diaz-Pillard?
01:38There's no funding for any ballroom in my, in my appropriation bill, just so I know,
01:42because it deals with foreign policy.
01:44I'll note there's no funding in the energy and water bill.
01:46So let me, let me, let me, let me, let me, let me let, let both of you, Mr. Diaz
01:51-Pillard
01:51and Cloud in on something.
01:53You're appropriators, and I'm, and I'm surprised you don't know this, but are you aware that
01:57President Trump and his team have transferred roughly $400 million in taxpayer dollars that
02:04Congress appropriated, um, to the Secret Service and put into the White House repair and restoration
02:09account in order to make, quote, security upgrades as part of the ballroom construction project?
02:14So when you say there's no taxpayer funds going to this, are you aware that, well, I mean,
02:19but you're appropriators, and you, I mean, you, you're on the full committee as well.
02:23Are you aware that taxpayer dollars, hundreds of millions of dollars are going to this ballroom?
02:29Yeah, yeah, absolutely, yeah, yeah, well, I'm, I'm questioning you, so you don't have
02:33to get permission from the chair, yeah.
02:35So I, I am aware that we have a pretty high-risk security situation.
02:40We have a president who's now suffered.
02:42And you, and so you support that?
02:43I support making sure that the president of the United States is safe, is safe, but I have
02:48not seen any details.
02:49Well, I, I will provide you the details.
02:51Look forward to it.
02:52OMB has provided us all the monies that, where there, where there were transfers.
02:57I mean, in fact, I could, I can tell you right now that a transfer of $340.8 million in,
03:04and taxpayer dollars to the ballroom construction on June 12, 2026, a second transfer of $10.75
03:12million in taxpayer dollars to the ballroom construction, also on June 12, a third transfer
03:17on June 15th of $45 million in taxpayer dollars, again, to the ballroom construction.
03:22I mean, I have the documents from the Office of Management and Budget right here.
03:26So I, I, it's stunning to me that as appropriate as that you're unaware of the transfers.
03:30But here's my question.
03:31If I run the Appropriations Committee, you know, I mean, and I work to get money appropriated
03:37for X or for Y, I would want to make sure that the executive branch, whether it's a Republican
03:43administration or a Democratic administration, respected the will of Congress.
03:48That actually did what we, what appropriators said they would do.
03:52So, I mean, I mean, this is an end run, this is a, this is like an end run around
03:57Congress.
03:58Yes.
03:59Is that, is that something you support?
04:00And if not, what can the Appropriations Committee do to stop it?
04:04I want to note, I, I took a, a tour of the White House defense apparatus with the Secret Service
04:08recently.
04:09I would wonder if you've taken that same tour.
04:11I, I, I don't think they'll let me on the White House grounds.
04:13So, I mean, you know, I mean, I, with this president, I, I don't think.
04:18But I mean, but, but the point of the matter is if you support.
04:20But have you ever taken, have you ever taken that tour?
04:21I haven't been to the White House many people.
04:22Have you ever taken that tour?
04:23But if you, if you support.
04:24Have you ever taken that tour?
04:25Yeah, I have taken the tour, yeah.
04:26Not, not the White House tour of the security defense apparatus.
04:29Yeah, I, I.
04:30I had the chance to talk to the Secret Service.
04:31And you know, when we visit the White House right now, the, the visitors to the White House
04:35go through tents, basically.
04:38They stand out in the open.
04:39They've stopped.
04:39When we hold state dinners, it's basically a lawn that could be, have just been rained under.
04:48And, and the ballroom portion.
04:52There, there, there's a, there's a security component to the ballroom that you should,
04:59you should probably look into in certain things of course we can't talk about in this committee.
05:03My question is appropriate is why don't you appropriate the funding?
05:05Why do you allow the administration to do an end run around, around this?
05:08I mean, you, you have appropriation bills coming up right now.
05:10You can fund hundreds of millions of dollars as you see fit.
05:13Why not just do it?
05:14Can I, may I address that?
05:15May I address that?
05:16Thank you, sir.
05:16Look, um, valid question.
05:19Uh, but it is a little rich because I do remember when the previous administration,
05:24there were hundreds of billions of dollars that were spent by then President Biden's administration
05:28that were neither appropriated nor authorized.
05:31And then it went to the Supreme Court of the United States.
05:34And the Supreme Court of the United States said it was unconstitutional.
05:36By the way, uh, I don't remember, uh, the outrage by some of our Democratic colleagues
05:43about that taking place.
05:44Now, having said that, having, no, no, no, what, no, what was unconstitutional was a time
05:49when the Democrats did not speak out when President Biden did it.
05:52Now, let me, well, if you don't want me to answer it, then I get that because you don't
05:57like the answer, but that is, my, my question is, are you, are you saying that this money that
06:02the president is spending, which was not authorized or appropriated for this use is unconstitutional?
06:08If not, then do you approve of this money being spent on the ballroom?
06:12It's a simple question, not a trick question.
06:15No, if I may, what I'm saying is that we are here, we have appropriation bills in front of you.
06:19We have two appropriation bills.
06:20By the way, none of these two bills deal with that specific, uh, issue.
06:25Um, but again, it's, it's a little rich when I hear all of a sudden, all of a sudden a
06:29wake up
06:30that, uh, that, that, you know, money that was not appropriated should or should not be
06:34appropriated when the previous administration did so, and the Supreme Court of the United
06:39States said that it was wrong, and I do not remember, I may be wrong, because maybe I can
06:43get, you can get me some of your quotes, uh, demanding, uh, accountability to the president.
06:48You, you, you support tax funding for this, uh, for this ballroom?
06:51I support.
06:51The reason why is because it was, they tried to put it in the reconciliation bill, but it became
06:55so unpopular that they removed it.
06:57I support these two appropriation bills that are in front of you right now.
06:59Again, neither of which have that issue.
07:01So, I, then I, I, I will put you both down as saying that you support that money.
07:05No, no, I'm saying what I'm saying, Mr. Uh, Mr. Rankin, I don't support that money.
07:09No, what I'm saying is I support these appropriation bills in front of you.
07:14None of these.
07:14Is it maybe?
07:15No?
07:16I mean, I mean, anyway.
07:18Well, look, you don't like the answer and, and you sure, and you sure were not complaining
07:22when the previous administration did a lot more egregious than what you're claiming is happening
07:27today.
07:27I'm defending this president's, uh, unauthorized transfer of funds, uh, to, to do this.
07:33But let me add, Mr. Cloud, you have submitted your amendment to permanently block the federal
07:37government from issuing a central bank digital currency 38 times to this Congress.
07:43You're welcome.
07:43And each and every one of those times, the rules committee, controlled by your party,
07:49um, has blocked your amendment from being made in order.
07:51So I see that you have filed your amendment for the 39th time today, uh, before our committee.
07:57My question is, if Republicans block your amendment for the 39th time, will you vote against the rule?
08:03The currency bill.
08:07I don't think it's about it.
08:09Okay.
08:10The question is, why would you continue to vote for rules to block your own amendments from, from getting votes?
08:16Um, I mean, your, your party's in the majority.
08:18Let me just, one final question for Mr. Diaz-Berlade, um, uh, yeah, I, you know, I, I'm looking over
08:24the, uh, you know, the, your, your, your, the National Security Department of State and, uh, related programs appropriations bill.
08:31And I'll be honest with you, it, it, it, it, it, it does not reflect my values.
08:34And I think it weakens the United States.
08:35I think gutting programs, uh, that actually help, uh, deal with humanitarian crises, um, is a bad thing for the
08:42United States, undercuts our national security.
08:44And I think national security needs to be thought of in terms that is not just about our military might,
08:50but about the good stuff that we do.
08:52Um, and, um, and, and I also, uh, am deeply, um, troubled by the de-emphasis of human rights by
09:00this administration, um, and by, quite frankly, Congress.
09:04I mean, I, the president went to China recently, um, and met with President Xi.
09:08I was stunned that human rights was not a priority on their agenda, um, and not part of the readout
09:14of his, of his statement.
09:15I think President Xi is a horrific dictator that is abusing the, uh, Chinese people, that anybody who disagrees with
09:23them is put in jail.
09:24We have tons of political prisoners.
09:26And I would like to think that if any country in the world was out there fighting for these people,
09:30it would be the United States.
09:31But my question to you is the Trump administration is relying on the U.N. over and over for their
09:37priorities as the main channel for humanitarian aid,
09:40to legitimize the Gaza ceasefire, for new security arrangements in Haiti, and now to get nuclear weapons inspectors back into
09:48Iran.
09:49That's what the Trump administration is relying on the U.N.
09:52Yet this committee isn't funding the U.N.
09:54That just seems illogical.
09:56It's counterproductive.
09:57And it makes us look like a cowardly cheapskate in the eyes of the world.
10:01The U.S. should lead, um, and it is beneath us to be a freeloader.
10:06So my question is, why isn't this committee funding the U.N. to meet both the President's priorities,
10:11what the President has said he wants the U.N. to do, and Congresses, on human rights, on disease prevention,
10:18on conflict prevention, and other matters?
10:25Um, yeah, you're right that we do, um, we do cut a lot of funding for the, for the, for
10:29example, the U.N. general fund.
10:30We do, however, fund some key issues that the U.N. does.
10:33Now, we don't fund some things that, frankly, are just a waste of money.
10:38Um, you mentioned human rights.
10:40Yeah.
10:40I, I think you and I would probably agree on one thing, which is that the Human Rights Council,
10:44the U.N., the U.N. Human Rights Council, is made up of among the worst human rights violators in
10:49the planet.
10:50And to continue to fund entities like that, which all they do is they take our money and then use
10:56that money to, frankly,
10:58uh, you know, just go after the United States and our allies while being made up of the worst human
11:04rights violators in the world.
11:05It's just not serious.
11:07Uh, so while we're funding, again, I go back to what I said at the beginning.
11:10We're funding key issues, but we're not just spending money and throwing money away on wasteful issues.
11:14But the money doesn't go to those countries.
11:16It goes to the body, right?
11:17I mean, it doesn't go to those countries.
11:19Yes, it goes.
11:20And I, I think, and I, and I, and I'm just going to say this because I'm going to buzz
11:23me gavel down here.
11:24Um, you know, as a co-chair of the Human Rights, Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission,
11:29named after Tom Lantos, the only Holocaust survivor to serve in Congress,
11:32it is stunning to me how our country has withdrawn from being a leader on human rights.
11:38It is an afterthought.
11:39And some of the, the president's closest allies are the worst human rights abusers, uh, in the world.
11:45And I, again, it's really troubling.
11:47And I think it, it's, it's, it's one of those things that undercuts our overall national security.
11:50And I'm being cut off.
11:52So, I yield back.
11:57Subscribe to One India and never miss an update.
12:02Download the One India app now.
Comments