The money mostly comes from donors, an Office of Management and Budget official told Fortune.
The budget does not specify what projects the funding will go toward, but an Office of Management and Budget official told Fortune that the money will cover all repair, renovation, construction, and security costs. These figures represent money already in the government accounts, not a request from Congress for more funding, the official said—an important distinction as many other parts of this budget, such as the record-breaking ask of $1.5 trillion in military spending for next year, are new requests for Congress to approve.
He had also planned to host tech executives in the space in September, many of whom run companies that later donated to the ballroom project, but the event was moved inside due to the weather.
Some $350 million of the estimated $377 million is considered mandatory spending, a designation used for programs Congress funds by statute, such as Medicare and Social Security, rather than yearly appropriation. The private, tax-deductible donations were placed in the National Park Service gift account, which is a mandatory account, according to the OMB official, and not subject to yearly congressional appropriations.
“I am honored to be the first President to finally get this much-needed project, which is on time and under budget, underway,” Trump said on social media on April 2. “When completed, it will be the Greatest and Most Beautiful Ballroom of its kind anywhere in the World, and a fabulous complement to our Beautiful and Storied White House!”
