1. United States
2. Colo.
3. Letter

I am writing as your constituent to express strong opposition to the inclusion of a $1 billion line item for renovations related to the President’s proposed White House ballroom. In this recent Senate Republican spending package there is funding that was not authorized by the public and, critically, the project was repeatedly represented as one to be covered by private donors and not by taxpayers. Using federal taxpayer dollars for what has been described as a private, donor-funded project is unacceptable. The federal budget should prioritize core government responsibilities and the needs of ordinary Americans, not a vanity construction project of a private or semi-private amenity in the ’People’s House’. If there is no money for the ACA tax cuts, SNAP benefits, Medicare, and Medicaid funding, then there should be no money for this ballroom project. I strongly urge you to oppose any appropriation that would allocate taxpayer funds to the ballroom and to work to remove any line item funding this project from the final spending bill or reconciliation package. Please publicly commit to voting against the ballroom funding and to supporting the removal of this line item during negotiations. If private donors truly intend to fund the project, that money should be secured and verified before any consideration of public dollars. Regardless, taxpayers should not be forced to underwrite the ballroom. To date, the American people do not know if this project is approved by any the General Services Administration (GSA), National Park Service (NPS), Preservation experts, and advisory boards All of these organizations need to be involved with projects regarding the White House. Any and all renovations must be stopped until we know who the donors are, if there are conflicts of interest and the final speculated costs. Thank you for your attention to this matter. I look forward to your prompt response indicating how you will act to prevent taxpayer funding for the ballroom.