Trump's ballroom

 Washington Post - President Donald Trump has claimed that the White House needs a massive new ballroom because it would provide him and future presidents with a secure, hardened facility. But former officials say the argument fails to acknowledge that the presidential complex already has one. More than a decade ago, federal officials built a highly protected bunker, embedded deep underground, that can shelter the president and his top aides in a national security emergency, according to three former officials.

The facility, which was secretly completed during the Obama administration, can house dozens of people for up to multiple weeks, two former officials said. It’s buried more than 60 feet underneath the White House complex and built to withstand a nuclear blast, two of the officials said, ensuring the president and his team have a secure command center to run the country in times of extreme duress.

The Congressional Insider -  President Trump insists his new White House ballroom will cost taxpayers “not one dime,” but government watchdogs and even a Republican senator say public money is already flowing into the project. Trump has repeatedly promised the ballroom will be funded entirely by private donors, not taxpayers.

A House Democratic report says tens of millions in taxpayer dollars have already gone toward construction. The project’s price tag has jumped from an early $100 million estimate to as much as $600 million.  Republican Senator Rick Scott has questioned why any taxpayer money would be needed if private funding exists.  A contract shielding donor names from public disclosure was only revealed after a lawsuit.