{"id":2596152,"date":"2026-04-28T13:19:02","date_gmt":"2026-04-28T17:19:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/rick-scott-says-he-opposes-using-taxpayer-funds-for-white-house-ballroom\/"},"modified":"2026-04-28T13:20:02","modified_gmt":"2026-04-28T17:20:02","slug":"rick-scott-says-he-opposes-using-taxpayer-funds-for-white-house-ballroom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/rick-scott-says-he-opposes-using-taxpayer-funds-for-white-house-ballroom\/","title":{"rendered":"Rick Scott says he opposes using taxpayer funds for White House ballroom"},"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\">24<\/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%2Frick-scott-says-he-opposes-using-taxpayer-funds-for-white-house-ballroom%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=2596152&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>Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) criticized a Republican proposal-introduced by Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC)-to use up to $400 million in federal money to fund President Donald Trump\u2019s planned White house ballroom, arguing that the country\u2019s $39 trillion debt and <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >deficit spending<\/a> make it inappropriate to use taxpayer funds for the project.  <\/p>\n<p>Graham said the facility would support security and operational needs,including a Secret Service annex and related \u201cmilitary stuff,\u201d with at least part of the cost offset through customs fees,while private donations could cover furnishings and decor. He also claimed Trump urged him to move the effort forward, describing it as significant for future presidents.  <\/p>\n<p>the push follows an attempted assassination of Trump at the White House Correspondents\u2019 Association dinner, which Trump cited as justification for a large, secure ballroom on White House grounds. Other Senate Republicans, including Josh Hawley and rand Paul, have expressed skepticism and concerns about relying on public financing, with Paul suggesting Trump may already have raised private money and that the scope should be smaller. The ballroom is being discussed as roughly 90,000 square feet for about 1,000 people, and the plan has faced criticism from some historians and architects as well as legal challenges.  <\/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>Sen. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/rick-scott\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"1989\">Rick Scott<\/a> (R-FL) is pushing back on a <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/republican\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"926\">Republican<\/a> proposal to spend up to $400 million in federal funds on President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"4\">Donald Trump\u2019s<\/a> planned <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/white-house\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"8767\">White House<\/a> ballroom, citing the nation\u2019s mounting <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/debt\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"1770\">debt<\/a> and deficit spending.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t know why you would do it\u201d with taxpayer money, Scott told <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/politics\/congress\/republicans-split-using-taxpayer-funds-trump-white-house-ballroom-rcna342290\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/politics\/congress\/republicans-split-using-taxpayer-funds-trump-white-house-ballroom-rcna342290\">NBC News<\/a>, \u201cif it\u2019s all funded \u2026 We have $39 trillion in debt. Maybe we ought to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/five-navy-seals-running-for-congress-to-save-america\/\" title=\"Five Navy SEALs Running for Congress to Save America\">stop spending money<\/a>.\u201d<\/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\/senate\/4545203\/lindsey-graham-bill-trump-white-house-ballroom\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>GOP bill will authorize $400M in taxpayer dollars to White House ballroom: Graham<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/4544405\/whca-dinner-shooting-reignites-gop-calls-nuke-senate-filibuster\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>WHCA dinner shooting reignites GOP calls to nuke Senate filibuster<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/4543698\/tillis-trump-federal-reserve-kevin-warsh\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Tillis says he\u2019ll vote to confirm Trump Fed chairman nominee Kevin Warsh<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p>Scott\u2019s comments came after Sen. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/lindsey-graham\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"737\">Lindsey Graham<\/a> (R-SC) announced legislation Monday that would help finance the ballroom project with federal dollars. Graham argued the facility would serve security and operational purposes beyond hosting events.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>\u201cUnderneath it will be a lot of military stuff. There will be a Secret Service annex, and we pay for it by offsetting it with customs fees,\u201d Graham <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/4545203\/lindsey-graham-bill-trump-white-house-ballroom\/\">said<\/a> at a press conference. He added that private donations could still be used for furnishings and decor.<\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/4545540\/united-arab-emirates-quits-opec-alliance\/\"><strong>UNITED ARAB EMIRATES QUITS OPEC ALLIANCE<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Graham said Trump personally urged him to move the project forward, calling it necessary \u201cfor future presidents.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The congressional push follows Saturday\u2019s attempted assassination of Trump at the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/white-house-correspondents-association\/\">White House Correspondents\u2019 Association<\/a> dinner. <\/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 wrote in a Sunday Truth Social <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/truthsocial.com\/@realDonaldTrump\/posts\/116471074928310119\">post<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Several Senate Republicans have expressed skepticism over using public funds. Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) said he would prefer private financing, while noting Congress may need to authorize major changes to White House grounds. Sen. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/rand-paul\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"230\">Rand Paul<\/a> (R-KY) has also expressed concerns.<\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/4545203\/lindsey-graham-bill-trump-white-house-ballroom\/\"><strong>GOP BILL WILL AUTHORIZE $400M IN TAXPAYER DOLLARS TO WHITE HOUSE BALLROOM: GRAHAM<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m not against putting in reconciliation and doing a nominal amount,\u201d Paul told NBC News. \u201cI\u2019m not for funding the whole $500 million. I think he\u2019s already raised the money through private means.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>When Trump announced the ballroom proposal over the summer, he said it would be financed solely through private donations. The space is slated to be around 90,000 square feet and is expected to accommodate roughly 1,000 people. In recent months, the ballroom has drawn criticism from historians, architects, and members of the public, as well as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/gop-pressures-biden-admin-over-torture-on-jan-6-detainees\/\" title=\"GOP pressures Biden admin. over torture on Jan. 6 detainees\">mounting legal challenges<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sen. Rick Scott questions spending $400M on Trump ballroom using taxpayer money<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4195,"featured_media":2596153,"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\/2026\/03\/AP25253569866244-e1772997509648.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[65586,3760,39607,61799,32127],"class_list":["post-2596152","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-ballroom","tag-opposition","tag-rick-scott","tag-taxpayer-funds","tag-white-house"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/AP25253569866244-e1772997509648.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2596152","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\/4195"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2596152"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2596152\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2596156,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2596152\/revisions\/2596156"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2596153"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2596152"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2596152"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2596152"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}