Following the shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner, a common right-wing talking point involved promoting the lavish ballroom as a national security need. A newly released reconciliation package indicates that Senate Republicans are seeking roughly $1 billion in taxpayer funding for the ballroom ― a notable shift from earlier claims that the project would be privately financed and cost about $200 million. The president has long fixated on the ballroom, frequently bringing it up in speeches, showing off images and offering unsolicited updates about the project since it was announced in July 2025. While many critics have raised political and ethical concerns about issues like budget waste, architects and interior designers are also sounding the alarm from a design perspective. “The proposed ballroom prioritizes large-scale, formal gathering over everyday public engagement,” said interior designer Sarah Boardman .…