Donald Trump is using money from the Secret Service and National Parks to fund the construction of a ballroom.

Posted by The Bulwark Daily, Sep 29, 2026Checked Nov 2, 2026

Polygraph verdictMixed

Sources: 2 contradict3 support2 context
Said: 1 time·
Confidence: 60%

The Bulwark DailySep 29, 2026

Sources support that the Secret Service's taxpayer appropriations (about $350M to $1.17B, reported as redirected in June 2026) were directed toward the ballroom project, though the administration says donors fund the ballroom and Democrats' diversion claims are their own characterization.

A guest makes this claim. Listeners heard it, so it counts against the post, and on the guest's own record.

This claim is about the present, so it is judged as of the day it was checked.

What was said

… think there's just something even more easy to understand for the general public, and that is, Trump is stealing your money look at this ballroom Look at these PSAs that he's putting out. How is he getting the money to do this? Congress never authorized it. There's documentation where he is raiding other pots of money from the Secret Service, from the National Parks, to do this thing that nobody said he could do. I mean, this is illegal spending, and at some point, there has to be a Congress that says, you know what, we're going to assert our spending power. Because honestly, if Congress does not protect its spending power, what is the point of Congress? …

The Bulwark Daily · Sep 29, 2026· from the transcriptPost →

What we found

Contradicts. The National Parks element is not borne out: a $1 billion congressional security package that reportedly included national parks revenue was proposed and later abandoned or struck down, and no source describes money actually taken from National Park accounts for the ballroom.[1][4]

Supports. Senator Blumenthal's June 2026 letter describes the Secret Service's diversion of $1.17 billion appropriated for its operations toward construction of the ballroom, and asks for documents on the redirection.[3]

Supports. A June 2026 PBS NewsHour report says the Secret Service redirected $352 million in taxpayer dollars toward the ballroom project, funds drawn from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.[5]

Supports. Bloomberg Government reports Democrats said the administration appears to be diverting almost $400 million allocated for the Secret Service toward the ballroom, and the administration says the project is funded with private donations and 'zero taxpayer dollars.'[6]

Context. The White House says the congressional proposal was strictly for security features and that the ballroom is privately funded; Congress refused the $1 billion request, per AP, and the funds were allocated to Secret Service accounts.[2][7]