1. United States
2. Colo.
3. Letter

Vote no on the Graham-Britt-Schmitt bill that would authorize $400 million in taxpayer funding for President Trump's White House ballroom project. This construction was promised to be privately funded, and that promise should be kept. In October, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt explicitly stated: "It's not costing the taxpayers anything. The president is privately funding this ballroom addition to White House grounds." Now the administration wants $400 million from taxpayers while our national debt stands at $39 trillion. This is exactly the kind of wasteful spending that voters sent us to Washington to stop. The project faces serious legal challenges from preservationists who argue it requires congressional approval. The East Wing has already been demolished, and construction won't finish until the end of Trump's term. Even then, it's unclear whether events like the Correspondents' Dinner would actually use it, since Saturday's attendance would have exceeded the ballroom's capacity. This is not a national security priority. It's an ego project that breaks a clear promise to taxpayers. Reject this funding request.