1. United States
2. Texas
3. Letter

I strongly oppose any taxpayer funding for a new White House ballroom. The Administration chose to tear down an existing structure that belonged to the American people before obtaining congressional authorization and appropriations for any replacement. That was their decision. Taxpayers should not now be handed the bill to repair, replace, or expand what was voluntarily destroyed. If the White House wanted a new ballroom or additional underground security infrastructure, that proposal should have come to Congress first, before demolition, not after the fact as a demand for funding. This is a basic issue of public stewardship. Federal property is not private property. The White House does not belong to any president, any administration, or any political party. It belongs to the American people. Decisions to remove or replace parts of it should never be made first and justified later with requests for taxpayer dollars. I am also deeply opposed to any proposal that would place the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on White House grounds. The White House Correspondents’ Association is an independent private organization, and the press must remain institutionally and visibly independent from the government it covers. The White House should not be used as event space for private organizations, whether as a favor or as a paid venue. Either option is unacceptable. The government should not be in the position of granting event space to the press, and the press should never be in the position of paying the government for access to venue space. Turning the White House into a functional event venue for outside organizations undermines the symbolic and practical independence of the press and cheapens the role of the White House itself. It is the seat of government, not a rentable hall. The President’s attendance at the Correspondents’ Dinner is optional. If Secret Service determines that an off-site event cannot be adequately secured, then the President should not attend. That is not a legitimate reason to ask taxpayers to fund new construction. Please oppose any appropriations for this project.