1. United States
2. S.C.
3. Letter

Donald Trump’s White House East Wing reconstruction project has reportedly ballooned to $600 million—way higher than the $200 million price tag he repeatedly promised—and internal documents obtained by The Washington Post indicate that more than half of the cost is expected to be paid by U.S. taxpayers. Trump repeatedly claimed the project, which includes a new ballroom, underground bunker, and security facilities, would be funded entirely by private donors, saying in March: “We have no taxpayer putting up 10 cents.” But now, internal contractor estimates provided to the White House projected a $600 million cost, with taxpayer-funded contributions from the Secret Service, the White House Military Office, and the Executive Residence. The records also show that tens of millions of taxpayer dollars had already been approved for the project before Trump made those public statements. The White House did not directly dispute the internal estimates, instead saying Trump and private donors are paying for the ballroom itself, while the documents reportedly show the project is funded through a mix of private donations and taxpayer dollars. This is such an egregious use of tax payers funding! While people struggle with day to day affordability, Donald Trump takes our money for his vanity projects. This is the fault of the Republican controlled Congress! Congress alone gas the power of the purse! This means Republicans are either allocating money for Trump's projects, or turning a blind eye while he steals from us!