Democrats have introduced a bill that would impose donation restrictions for President Donald Trump’s $300 million ballroom project.
The East Wing of the White House has been demolished to make way for Trump’s gilded 90,000 square-foot ballroom. It’s estimated to cost $300 million and Trump has said it will be funded by dozens of wealthy donors and companies.
The Stop Ballroom Bribery Act, introduced Tuesday by Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren and California Rep. Robert Garcia, would ban donations from individuals with conflicts of interest, prevent the president and vice president from contributing and mandate real names to be used when making donations, among other requirements.
“Billionaires and giant corporations with business in front of this administration are lining up to dump millions into Trump’s new ballroom — and Trump is showing them where to sign on the dotted line. Americans shouldn’t have to wonder whether President Trump is building a ballroom to facilitate a pay-to-play scheme for political favors. My new bill will put an end to what looks like bribery in plain sight,” Warren said in a statement.
The Independent has reached out to the White House for comment.
Last month, the president told reporters that the project was "paid for 100% by me and some friends of mine.” Sponsors include tech giants Amazon, Apple Google, and Microsoft, crypto companies Coinbase and Ripple, the Winklevoss twins and the family of Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, according to a list provided by the White House.
Some donors have been allowed to remain anonymous, the Democrats said.
“The White House has refused to be fully transparent, publishing only a noncomprehensive donor list missing multiple key donors and offering donors anonymity,” the Tuesday release stated.
The legislation would require transparency, mandating donors to disclose any meetings with the federal government that occur within one year of the donation and prohibiting anonymous donations. On a quarterly basis, the National Park Service would be required to publish the donor’s name, the amount contributed, and any meeting with officials, the bill proposal says.
"It's outrageous that the White House won’t reveal who’s bankrolling Trump’s pet project, and that the people’s house could be funded by shady figures, corrupt money, and bad actors. This bill will ban contributions from anyone with a conflict of interest, prevent bribery, and ensure we can hold any administration accountable for blatant corruption,” Garcia said.
Last month, Connecticut Senator Richard Blumenthal sent letters to the listed donors asking how much they contributed to the ballroom project and whether they had reached an agreement in exchange for their donations. Only 16 donors have replied so far, but none have specified how much they donated, CBS News reported.
Trump has said about $350 million has been raised by private donors.
“President Trump has put a ‘for sale’ sign on the White House—soliciting hundreds of millions of dollars from special interests to fund his $300 million vanity project. Our measure is a direct response to Trump’s ballroom boondoggle,” Blumenthal, a co-sponsor of the legislation, said in a statement.
“With commonsense reforms to how the federal government can use private donations, our legislation prevents President Trump and future presidents from using construction projects as vehicles for corruption and personal vanity.”
The proposed legislation would also prohibit displaying donors’ names and logos as recognition of the donation and imposes a two-year “cooling-off period” before a donor to a covered project can lobby the federal government.
The bill would “cover the construction, improvement, or other alteration of property on the White House grounds, the VP’s residence, or other public property that the President or VP regularly use (such as Camp David or Air Force One); events hosted at such locations; and monuments or other structures that honor a living President or VP,” the release said.
The bill is not likely to gain traction in the Republican-controlled House or Senate and the proposal does not currently have any Republican co-sponsors.
It is also unlikely Trump would sign it into law.
