WP: Trump is planning to spend over 900 million dollars on construction in the White House

Washington – The administration of American President Donald Trump is preparing to spend at least $927 million (19.5 billion CZK) on construction projects at the White House. This is a much larger amount than originally indicated. Most of the money will be sourced from taxpayers, writes The Washington Post (WP), citing documents related to the projects.

Instead of receiving funds from Congress, the administration has collected financing from other agencies and private donors and deposited it into an account that typically holds only a few million dollars for routine maintenance of the U.S. presidents' residence.

From non-public contracts and related planning documents, it appears that the administration plans to use the funds in the account for "modernization projects" of the White House, a term it uses to describe Trump’s plans to transform the residence, including a ballroom on the site of the demolished east wing.

According to WP, the documents reveal in the most detail how Trump’s administration bypassed Congress and made it difficult for the public to view the plans for the most expensive renovation of the White House in over 80 years.

A federal appeals court complicated Trump’s plans last Friday by ordering a halt to the construction of the ballroom. According to the court, the project must be approved by Congress. The Republican president stated that he would appeal the decision, so it is likely that the U.S. Supreme Court will decide on the limits of his power to reshape the White House.

"Congress has the exclusive authority to regulate the construction and demolition of buildings at the White House," the court stated.

Trump’s administration has not disclosed the total cost of all planned construction projects and renovations at the White House, nor the source of the funds it has thus far raised for this purpose. Trump has repeatedly claimed that the construction of the ballroom is entirely funded by donors. Initially, Trump stated that the project would cost $200 million, later raising the figure to approximately $400 million.

WP had previously reported that the ballroom project alone would actually cost $600 million, with half of that amount covered by taxpayer money. Non-public bidding documents also mention the costs of upgrading the nearby Lafayette Square, building a helicopter landing zone, new visitor security screening centers, and other projects. According to the newspaper, the total amount could thus rise to at least $927 million.