According to a report by The Washington Post on the 12th, archival records show that the Trump administration plans to carry out construction projects in the White House complex, investing at least $900 million (approximately 6.07 billion yuan). This cost is significantly higher than the figures previously reported, and the funds will be borne primarily by taxpayers.
Records show that the Trump administration did not request funding directly from Congress. Instead, it pooled funds from various agencies and private donations, and transferred the money to a little-known account. This account typically holds only a few million dollars and is used for the daily maintenance of the executive mansion.
Multiple confidentiality contracts and accompanying planning documents indicate that the Trump administration intends to use the funds from this account to carry out major renovations at the White House, implementing what Trump called the “White House modernization project.” The core of this project is the construction of a gilded banquet hall on the former site of the East Wing of the White House.
These newly disclosed documents show that the Trump administration bypassed Congress and concealed the details of the funding for this most expensive renovation project at the White House in over 80 years.
The Washington Post states that the estimated cost of the East Wing construction project alone is 600 million dollars, with half of this cost borne by taxpayers. The newspaper learned that the confidential contracts also include expenses for upgrading Lafayette Square, building a helipad, a new visitor security checkpoint, and other previously disclosed projects. The total cost of all projects in the White House complex will be at least 927 million dollars.
It is reported that the contract and funding for this project were handled through the White House’s “Presidential Residence Office”. This department has fewer than a hundred employees and is responsible for maintaining the operations of the President’s private residence. Since it is not subject to the regulations regarding the disclosure of files by most federal agencies, the related contracts remain confidential.
Experts say that the “President’s Office” mainly employs butlers, cultural curators, clerks, and carpenters. It has never been responsible for large-scale construction projects before. In recent years, Congress has allocated $2.5 million annually to a maintenance account for this department, known as the “White House Restoration and Renovation Fund”. Public budget records show that since Trump took office, the government has allocated $875 million to this account.
In the past, whenever previous governments planned major changes to the White House complex, they would submit a budget request to Congress. After obtaining funding, they would then instruct relevant agencies to go through the approval process and select contractors. However, the Trump administration neither made public the total cost of all White House construction projects nor disclosed the sources and original uses of most of the funds collected.
Regarding this, Trump repeatedly claimed that the construction of the East Wing banquet hall would be funded entirely through private donations.
Last Friday, a federal appeals court dismissed Trump’s renovation plans, ruling that the East Wing banquet hall must obtain congressional approval to continue with construction. Trump has indicated he will appeal against this decision. This ruling applies only to the banquet hall project, and could lead to a legal battle over the president’s authority to renovate the White House.
The U.S. Constitution stipulates that the authority to determine how tax funds are used belongs to Congress. The White House Budget Office can allocate funds between different accounts without departing from the original purpose of the appropriation. However, experts point out that such large-scale cross-account fund transfers by the Trump administration is very unusual.
Biden administration officials said "If executive departments can arbitrarily control congressional allocations, then the executive departments could do whatever they wanted."
Former chief historian of the White House Historical Association, Ed Ringer, stated that the scale of Trump’s renovation project could be compared to the construction work of the East Palace of the White House, which was completed under Roosevelt’s leadership in 1942, and it far surpasses all subsequent White House construction projects.
