Republicans scramble to impose White House ballroom costs on American taxpayers

In October 1994, the week before the midterm elections, a man standing among tourists in front of the White House pulled an assault rifle from beneath his coat and fired roughly 30 shots at the presidential mansion and the West Wing. Remarkably, no one was hurt in the incident.

This Video Is Trending Right Now →

In the aftermath, political figures and officials condemned the violence. They did not, however, call for the East Wing to be replaced by a giant ballroom to the benefit of Bill Clinton and his successors.

Years later, during Barack Obama’s tenure, the Democratic president faced repeated threats, including a September 2014 incident in which a man jumped the White House fence and ran through much of the main floor, dashing past a stairway that led to the first family’s living quarters.

Again, the incident received careful scrutiny, but it didn’t seem to occur to anyone to respond to the developments by demanding the construction of a fortified new structure attached to the White House for assorted parties and social gatherings.

But in the aftermath of the incident at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner, which an armed gunman attempted to breach, countless Republicans — from the White House to the halls of Capitol Hill, from the Justice Department to every available media platform — cried out in unison, shouting one word to anyone who would listen: “ballroom.”

Several GOP lawmakers didn’t just throw their support behind the vanity project that Donald Trump has obsessed over, they also unveiled new legislative proposals related to the initiative. Roll Call reported:

Senate Republicans are pushing for passage of legislation that would back the Trump administration’s planned White House ballroom in the wake of a shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Saturday.

This Video Is Trending Right Now 👇

Click here to watch the video

source WATCH THE CONTENT VIDEO

Sens. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Katie Britt of Alabama and Eric Schmitt of Missouri announced plans to fund the ballroom project with tax dollars. Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, meanwhile, said he plans to ask for unanimous consent Tuesday to pass a bill to authorize the ballroom’s construction without funding it. Both bills are expected to be released Tuesday.

It’s worth emphasizing that there is not yet intraparty unanimity on the issue. Republican Sen. Rick Scott of Florida, for example, noted private funds already appear to be in place to finance the project, so there’s no immediate need for Graham’s proposal, which would impose $400 million in costs on taxpayers.

A Politico report added that “it’s not going to be simple” to push such a measure through Congress, since Republicans would likely need to overcome a 60-vote hurdle in the Senate.