{"id":2595942,"date":"2026-04-28T05:59:01","date_gmt":"2026-04-28T09:59:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/five-bills-to-build-trumps-ballroom-offered-after-whca-attack\/"},"modified":"2026-04-28T06:03:08","modified_gmt":"2026-04-28T10:03:08","slug":"five-bills-to-build-trumps-ballroom-offered-after-whca-attack","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/five-bills-to-build-trumps-ballroom-offered-after-whca-attack\/","title":{"rendered":"Five bills to build Trump\u2019s ballroom offered after WHCA attack"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ffive-bills-to-build-trumps-ballroom-offered-after-whca-attack%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2595942&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>After teh attempted assassination of President donald Trump at the White House Correspondents\u2019 Association dinner, congressional Republicans and some Democrats quickly shifted toward supporting construction of Trump\u2019s proposed White House ballroom. Within hours, multiple GOP lawmakers announced new bills-at least five proposals as of Monday-aimed at authorizing and\/or funding the project, which has been tied up by legal challenges.<\/p>\n<p>On the House side, Reps. Lauren Boebert and Randy Fine each said they would introduce legislation to enable the ballroom and limit or preempt lawsuits, with Fine\u2019s proposal termed the \u201cBuild the Ballroom Act.\u201d On the senate side, Sens. Lindsey Graham, katie Britt, and Eric Schmitt are backing efforts to appropriate at least $400 million, while Tim Sheehy and Rand Paul are also expected to file separate bills. Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) voiced support as well, calling the existing venue inadequate for presidential successors.<\/p>\n<p>The article notes the project has been halted by a federal judge in a case brought by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which argued congress must approve the ballroom. Trump has argued the ballroom\u2019s construction must be secured quickly and, at times, claimed it would be financed by private donors rather than taxpayers-though Graham\u2019s plan would seek money through customs revenues. Meanwhile, Democratic backing beyond Fetterman appears limited, with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries criticizing the ballroom as a \u201cvanity project.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The piece also contrasts this response with the aftermath of Trump\u2019s 2024 rally shooting,which led to broader accountability measures for the Secret Service. Here, the White House emphasized satisfaction with the real-time security response. The suspected shooter is identified as 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen, charged by the Justice Department with multiple counts related to attempting to assassinate the president.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p>In the aftermath of the attempted assassination of President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"4\">Donald Trump<\/a> at the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/white-house-correspondents-association\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"1617\">White House Correspondents\u2019 Association<\/a> dinner, congressional lawmakers have begun offering their official policy reaction and so far it all points in one direction: building Trump\u2019s ballroom.<\/p>\n<p>Within hours of the shooting, several GOP lawmakers from both the House and Senate announced they would introduce legislation to approve the project, which has stalled amid legal challenges. On Monday, at least five different proposals to build the ballroom were floating around Capitol Hill. <\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/4545210\/thomas-kean-return-medical-absence\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Kean says he will be back on Capitol Hill \u2018very soon\u2019 after unexplained medical absence<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/4544957\/hakeem-jeffries-trump-whca-attack-democratic-rhetoric\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Jeffries shrugs off White House claim Democratic rhetoric fueled Trump attack: \u2018I don\u2019t give a damn\u2019<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/4543853\/boebert-sheehy-prepping-bills-trump-ballroom-approval\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Lauren Boebert and Tim Sheehy prepping bills to approve Trump ballroom after dinner shooting<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p>On the House side, Reps. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) and Randy Fine (R-FL) have announced separate plans to introduce legislation to authorize the ballroom. On the Senate side, Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Katie Britt (R-AL), and Eric Schmitt (R-MO) are backing legislation to appropriate at least $400 million to build the ballroom. Sens. Tim Sheehy (R-MT) and Rand Paul (R-KY) are expected to introduce their own separate bills on the topic as well.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>In a show of bipartisanship, Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) has also called for the ballroom to be built after the shooting.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Artist renderings of the new White House East Wing and Ballroom are photographed Tuesday, March 31, 2026. (AP Photo\/Jon Elswick)<br \/><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The president\u2019s ballroom proposal has been the subject of a legal challenge from the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which has argued the project needs congressional approval. District Judge Richard Leon, a Bush appointee, has halted the construction project as the legal case plays out.<\/p>\n<p>Paul, who has at times broken from Trump on key issues, said in a statement he will introduce legislation on Tuesday to allow the construction to \u201cproceed without new taxpayer costs and make it easier for Congress to review major White House projects going forward.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Fine told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> during a brief interview that after Saturday\u2019s attack, \u201cif it wasn\u2019t clear before, it should be clear to everyone that the president needs a secure place to have large events.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>The Florida Republican said his bill, titled the \u201cBuild the Ballroom Act,\u201d would preempt lawsuits against the ballroom and make it explicit that the president has statutory authority to construct the ballroom on White House grounds. <\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, Boebert, while saying she does not believe congressional approval is needed for the project, said she would introduce the legislation \u201cif it\u2019ll keep activist judges on the sideline.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Trump has said his proposed 90,<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/white-house-will-construct-90000-square-foot-trump-ballroom\/\" title=\"... will construct 90,000-square-foot Trump ...\">000-square-foot ballroom<\/a>, which is expected to cost $400 million to construct, cannot be \u201cbuilt fast enough\u201d in the aftermath of the shooting.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat happened last night is exactly the reason that our great Military, Secret Service, Law Enforcement and, for different reasons, every President for the last 150 years, have been DEMANDING that a large, safe, and secure Ballroom be built ON THE GROUNDS OF THE WHITE HOUSE,\u201d Trump posted on Truth Social Sunday. \u201cThis event would never have happened with the Militarily Top Secret Ballroom currently under construction at the White House. It cannot be built fast enough! While beautiful, it has every highest level security feature there is plus, there are no rooms sitting on top for unsecured people to pour in, and is inside the gates of the most secure building in the World, The White House.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Trump has previously stated the ballroom\u2019s construction would be funded by private donors and not the American taxpayer. House Budget Committee Chairman Jodey Arrington (R-TX) <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-backs-republican-covid-19-package-after-mcconnell-rejects-bipartisan-proposal\/\" title=\"Trump backs Republican COVID-19 package after McConnell rejects bipartisan proposal\">told reporters<\/a> on Monday no funding would be included for the project in a <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >party-line budget reconciliation bill focused<\/a> on funding Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection, despite calls from Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) to do so.<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/chiproytx\/status\/2048414076452090130\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p>However, Graham <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/4545203\/lindsey-graham-bill-trump-white-house-ballroom\/\">told<\/a> reporters Monday that the legislation he was introducing alongside Britt and Schmitt would seek to authorize $400 million for the ballroom\u2019s construction. Graham said the money would come from customs fees levied on imports. The South Carolina Republican is calling on Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) to expedite the legislation.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">President Donald Trump, left, is seated on stage as U.S. Secret Service agents respond to take him from the ballroom after a shooting incident outside the ballroom during the White House Correspondents Dinner, Saturday, April 25, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo\/Mark Schiefelbein)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The ballroom focus marks a stark departure from how Congress responded when Trump was shot in 2024 at an election rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. That assassination attempt triggered bipartisan calls for accountability, the creation of a special congressional task force to investigate what went wrong, and, eventually, the resignation of the director of the Secret Service.<\/p>\n<p>The difference is partially attributed to the fact that the White House and Trump have been quick to praise Secret Service for stopping the threat in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/bidens-staff-told-us-he-misspoke-joe-biden-confuses-his-agenda-in-60-minutes-interview-so-his-staff-steps-in-to-correct-the-record-video\/\" title=\"&quot;Biden&#039;s Staff Told Us He Misspoke&quot; - Joe Biden Confuses His Agenda in 60 Minutes Interview so His Staff Steps in to Correct the Record (VIDEO)\">real time<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe president was satisfied with the response and he\u2019s very grateful to the men and women who provided the response for him and his wife and members of his team,\u201d White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Monday during a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/newsom-extends-southern-california-stay-at-home-order-for-at-least-another-three-weeks\/\" title=\"Newsom Extends Southern California Stay-at-Home Order For at Least Another Three Weeks\">press briefing<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Trump, Vice President JD Vance, members of Trump\u2019s Cabinet, and congressional lawmakers were rushed from the Washington Hilton Saturday night after several gunshots were heard outside the hotel\u2019s ballroom, where the event was taking place.   <\/p>\n<p>The suspected shooter, who wrote in an alleged manifesto that he was targeting members of the Trump administration, has been identified as <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4544489\/cole-allen-faces-charges-attempt-to-assassinate-trump\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4544489\/cole-allen-faces-charges-attempt-to-assassinate-trump\/\">31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen of California<\/a>. He has been charged by the Justice Department on multiple counts, including attempting to assassinate the president, transportation of a firearm and ammunition in interstate commerce, and discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s not clear if Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) will bring a bill to authorize the ballroom project to the House floor. However, he has voiced support for the ballroom, saying during a Fox News interview that a ballroom on the White House grounds would be a \u201csafe environment\u201d to hold large events.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt won\u2019t have hotel rooms above it, and it will have 7-inch-thick glass, for example, on the windows,\u201d Johnson said. \u201cSo it\u2019ll be a very safe environment to do events like this. We need a place, we have needed a place like [that], and the president keeps pointing it out.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s unlikely the White House ballroom will receive significant Democratic support beyond Fetterman, who announced his backing on Sunday morning.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4543512\/terror-at-white-house-correspondents-dinner\/\">INSIDE THE ROOM: TERROR AT THE WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENTS\u2019 DINNER<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe were there front and center,\u201d Fetterman <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/SenFettermanPA\/status\/2048390030561812902\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/x.com\/SenFettermanPA\/status\/2048390030561812902\">posted<\/a> on X. \u201cThat venue wasn\u2019t built to accommodate an event with the line of succession for the U.S. government. After witnessing last night, drop the TDS and build the White House ballroom for events exactly like these.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), however, called the ballroom a \u201cvanity project that resulted from the destruction that was unauthorized of the East Wing of the White House.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Lawmakers react to Trump shooting by pushing bills to build the White House ballroom<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2912,"featured_media":2595943,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/East_Wing_Ballroom_Plans_5.png?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[3634,36427,51097],"class_list":["post-2595942","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-trump","tag-whca","tag-white-house-correspondents-association"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/East_Wing_Ballroom_Plans_5.png?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2595942","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2912"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2595942"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2595942\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2595946,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2595942\/revisions\/2595946"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2595943"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2595942"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2595942"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2595942"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}