Congressional Republicans rally around Trump's White House ballroom project

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) talks to reporters after speaking on the floor of the Senate Chamber at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 30, 2026 in Washington, DC. Chip Somodevilla | A trio of Senate Republicans on Monday announced they will introduce legislation authorizing $400 million in federal funding to build President Donald Trump 's White House ballroom in the wake of a shooting incident that disrupted the White House Correspondents' Dinner over the weekend. Sens. Lindsey Graham , R-S.C., Katie Britt , R-Ala., and Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., said they were introducing the bill to fund a project that is vital to national security. "Many people I think originally saw it as a vanity project… I don't see it that way," Graham said at a press conference on Monday. "I'm convinced if there had been a presidential ballroom adjacent to the White House , the guy would have never gotten in."