Polygraph

Trump is stealing taxpayer money by raiding Secret Service and National Parks funds to build the ballroom.

Posted by The Bulwark Daily, Checked

Polygraph verdictMixed
Sources
2 contradict5 support2 context
Said
1 time·
Confidence
60%
The Bulwark DailySep 29, 2026
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63 claimsThe check →

Sources document roughly $300-400 million in Secret Service funds redirected by OMB toward White House security work that Democrats and reporters say helps fund the ballroom, so the Secret Service element is largely supported.

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

… a scam, and so that there's just so much investigating and following the money to see how this stuff happened, that needs to happen in a new Congress, but I do 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. …
The Bulwark Daily · · from the transcriptPost →

What we found

Contradicts. The White House says the congressional and apportioned funds are strictly for security elements, not the ballroom itself, and Trump says private donors pay for the ballroom.[1][8]

Supports. Multiple sources report that OMB apportioned about $350-400 million from Secret Service accounts (drawn from the One Big Beautiful Bill) to White House security, which Democrats say funds the ballroom.[2][4][5][9]

Supports. Sen. Heinrich's committee release says the administration diverted more than $300 million in federal funding for the ballroom project and cites redirected National Park fees, though it is a partisan source.[6]

Context. Murray, Murphy and Blumenthal asked GAO and the Secret Service to investigate whether the diversions exceeded legal authority, but no authoritative body has yet ruled the spending illegal.[4][7]

Context. A Senate parliamentarian ruled in May that the $1 billion security provision could not pass under reconciliation rules, and Congress rejected the $1 billion request in a later bill.[2][3]

Sources

9 sources: 3 fact-checkers, 4 primary, 2 tier 2

  1. 1Who's Paying for the White House Ballroom? - FactCheck.orgfactcheck.org · fact-checker · cited for: contradicts
  2. 2Democrats say money from Trump's tax cuts bill is paying for White House ballroom projectapnews.com · fact-checker · cited for: supports, context
  3. 3Federal funding for Trump's ballroom in jeopardy after Senate rulingreuters.com · fact-checker · cited for: context
  4. 4Murray, Murphy Urge Watchdog to Investigate Trump Admin's Use of Taxpayer Dollars for Trump's Ballroommurray.senate.gov · primary source · cited for: supports, context
  5. 5Senator Hassan Questions U.S. Secret Service on $400+ ...jec.senate.gov · primary source · cited for: supports
  6. 6Heinrich Calls for a Full GAO Audit of Trump's Ballroom Project – U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resourcesenergy.senate.gov · primary source · cited for: supports
  7. 7Blumenthal Demands Answers After Trump Administration Redirects ...blumenthal.senate.gov · primary source · cited for: context
  8. 8Trump vowed to identify more of the donors to his ballroom ...nbcnews.com · tier 2 · cited for: contradicts
  9. 9How Trump's construction projects are changing ...pbs.org · tier 2 · cited for: supports

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