Is this really the rallying cry the Repubs want to coalesce around?

[berg80]

And those "difficult circumstances" would be reduced by having our own permanent, fully secured structure. Good point you have there.

See post #25.

 

[Mac-7]

A secure ballroom is a free gift, not a waste of taxpayer money, what's the problem?

With democrats voting from rooftops we need more security.

The problem is that libs will lie to the public about the cost and who pays for it

 

[Invisibleflash]

Americans are rightly upset about the cost of living, the price at the pump, the Iran war. I don't think they believe the prez deserves an in kind, taxpayer funded reward for dealing with an aspect of his job, security, that unfortunately comes with the territory. Tone deafness on the part of R's rarely gets so striking. I don't know how they missed it.

Congressional Republicans rally around Trump’s White House ballroom project​

Congressional Republicans rally around Trump's White House ballroom project

A group of Senate Republicans is proposing a bill to authorize $400 million in federal funds for the construction of a White House ballroom.

www.cnbc.com

It is especially galling at this moment when King Charles is on a State visit. There are many trappings of the presidency that are austere, that were designed by the Founders and born of our 200+ year history that are a visual, physical, intentional contradiction to European monarchies. We don't have aristocrats who spend their time partying in gilded ballrooms and never have. The WH is not a resort, it's a place of governance. The very idea the ballroom has to exist is an anathema to the image we have of this country. Of all the problems we face as a nation getting a ballroom built is about the least important one I can imagine. Yet it occupies far too much of the prez's attention when we are involved in a economically destructive war.

YT said it could be for Trump's monumentalist ego. Or it could be for an underground, bigger bunker purpose.

 

[kyzr]

You believe it’s going to be free?!

Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., Katie Britt, R-Ala., and Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., on Monday announced plans to introduce legislation that would authorize $400 million to fund President Donald Trump’s long-sought after White House ballroom.

The scope of the new "ballroom" expanded significantly with the underground facilities. The roof, windows, and walls will all be "blast-proof". In light of the added security features senators feel justified using taxpayer money. However, private donations will be allowed and used.


Senate bills
Three Republican senators — Lindsey Graham (R‑SC), Katie Britt (R‑AL), and Eric Schmitt (R‑MO) — have introduced legislation to authorize $400 million in federal funds for the ballroom’s construction and related security infrastructure NBC News+1. While they say the project is about national security, they have also indicated that private donations could be used for certain items (e.g., “buying china and stuff like that”) but not for the main construction NBC News+1. This suggests that while private money is not the primary source, it could supplement some aspects.

 

[kyzr]

This whole thread positively BEGS the question, What could possibly be the theme for Democrats this Fall?
Trump hatred? Yes, I get it.
What else?

Voting from rooftops.

 

[berg80]

Not BULLSH!T, a New Remittance Tax pays back taxpayers for the wall.

C'mon, man. The remittance tax is designed to discourage immigrants from sending money to family members outside the country. It was changed to 1% from 3.5%.

The "One Big Beautiful Bill" (OBBB), signed July 4, 2025, imposes a 1% excise tax on specific international money transfers (remittances) from the U.S., effective January 1, 2026. The tax applies to cash-based, money order, or cashier's check transfers, while bank account, debit card, and credit card transfers are exempt. The sender pays the 1% tax. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
Key Details of the OBBB Remittance Tax:

• Tax Rate & Type: A 1% excise tax (reduced from an earlier 3.5% or 5% proposal) applies to the total transfer amount.

 

[kyzr]

C'mon, man. The remittance tax is designed to discourage immigrants from sending money to family members outside the country. It was changed to 1% from 3.5%.

The "One Big Beautiful Bill" (OBBB), signed July 4, 2025, imposes a 1% excise tax on specific international money transfers (remittances) from the U.S., effective January 1, 2026. The tax applies to cash-based, money order, or cashier's check transfers, while bank account, debit card, and credit card transfers are exempt. The sender pays the 1% tax. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
Key Details of the OBBB Remittance Tax:

• Tax Rate & Type: A 1% excise tax (reduced from an earlier 3.5% or 5% proposal) applies to the total transfer amount.

It's still foreign money paying for the wall.

 

[berg80]

The scope of the new "ballroom" expanded significantly with the underground facilities. The roof, windows, and walls will all be "blast-proof". In light of the added security features senators feel justified using taxpayer money. However, private donations will be allowed and used.

The security features were added as a PR move, a means to avoid congressional approval for the construction. Now they are being used as a pretense for construction. It's as insidious as it is transparent.

 

[berg80]

It's still foreign money paying for the wall.

Please provide your evidence the money is earmarked for wall construction.

 

[Lesh]

Not BULLSH!T, a New Remittance Tax pays back taxpayers for the wall.

The Remittances Tax: High Paperwork, Low Payoff

The House "One Big Beautiful Bill" includes a new 3.5 percent tax on remittances, or non-commercial transfers of money that people in the US send to people abroad.

taxfoundation.org

• The House‘s One Big Beautiful Bill Act includes a new 3.5 percent tax on remittances, or non-commercial transfers of money that people in the US send to people abroad.
• The tax will impose extra ID-verification and reporting hurdles on American citizens and financial institutions, not just the intended tax base of remittance senders without citizenship. The process for recouping erroneously collected tax will be cumbersome.
• The tax will be hard to enforce. Cash hand-offs, cryptocurrency wallets, and informal value-transfer networks sit outside the statutory net, so the rule will divert flows to opaque channels rather than capture meaningful revenue.

It’s one per cent and as noted… hard to enforce

 

[Lesh]

Please provide your evidence the money is earmarked for wall construction.

And there’s that

 

[berg80]

And there’s that

I'm afraid he's fallen for another ruse.

 

[Winston]

Paid with by private funds said the president.

Yeah, how flipping wonderful. Paid with donations because all those corporations and wealthy individuals, out of the kindness of the heart and perhaps some overwhelming sense of patriotism, or so charitable. You don't think they are going to want something for those donations? One of the biggest donors, Lockheed Martin.

Those donors are going to demand a return on their "investment".

 

[berg80]

The problem is that libs will lie to the public about the cost and who pays for it

Both matters will be very public. Unless trump keeps the cost a secret.

 

[berg80]

Yeah, how flipping wonderful. Paid with donations because all those corporations and wealthy individuals, out of the kindness of the heart and perhaps some overwhelming sense of patriotism, or so charitable. You don't think they are going to want something for those donations? One of the biggest donors, Lockheed Martin.

Those donors are going to demand a return on their "investment".

We may never know how they'll be compensated. Although trump has at times been very open about rewarding patronage.