White House overhaul carries $927 million price tag

President Donald Trump’s administration is preparing White House construction and modernisation projects costing at least $927 million, with much of the expenditure expected to be financed with public money transferred through federal accounts.

The planned spending represents a substantial expansion of work across the presidential complex, encompassing the East Wing redevelopment, security infrastructure, a visitor screening centre, improvements around Lafayette Square and a new helipad. More than $100 million in work orders had already been issued by the end of June, although contracts leave open the possibility that portions of the programme could be changed or cancelled.

Funding arrangements have emerged as a central issue surrounding the programme. About $875 million has been directed into the White House Repair and Restoration account since Trump returned to office, compared with annual congressional appropriations of roughly $2.5 million normally provided for maintenance of the executive residence.

Planning documents show $500 million transferred from the Secret Service and the White House Military Office, while another $305 million came from private donations. A further $70 million was directed to the account without its source being identified in the documents examined. The administration maintains that the transfers support authorised White House security and infrastructure purposes.

At the centre of the building programme is the redevelopment of the East Wing and construction of a large state ballroom. The ballroom was initially presented in 2025 as an approximately $200 million privately financed project before cost expectations climbed substantially. Internal construction estimates for East Wing work had risen from about $200 million in July 2025 to $600 million by March this year.

Trump has repeatedly said private donors would finance the ballroom itself and that taxpayers would not pay for its entertainment space. The administration has distinguished the ballroom from security structures associated with the wider East Wing redevelopment, arguing that federal agencies can properly finance protective infrastructure, structural hardening and other security requirements.

The distinction has become increasingly important as the scale of the project has grown. Earlier White House information described a roughly 90,000-square-foot ballroom capable of seating about 650 guests, more than three times the capacity of the East Room. McCrery Architects was selected to lead the design, Clark Construction to oversee construction and AECOM to handle engineering.

Legal scrutiny has also intensified. A federal appeals court ruled last week that congressional approval was required for continued construction of the East Wing ballroom, potentially setting up a further court challenge over presidential authority to alter major structures on the White House grounds. Trump has said the administration will pursue an appeal.

The dispute reflects broader constitutional questions about federal spending and control of government property. Congress holds the power to appropriate public funds, while executive agencies have some authority to transfer money between accounts when the expenditure remains consistent with the purpose originally approved by lawmakers.

Administration officials argue that much of the public expenditure relates to security rather than ceremonial construction. Plans associated with the East Wing include hardened infrastructure and military facilities intended to strengthen protection of the presidential compound. The White House has said $400 million in private contributions would cover the ballroom itself.

Trump has made architectural and landscaping changes a prominent feature of his second term. Work has included alterations to the Rose Garden, interior changes in the White House, improvements around the surrounding grounds and construction of a granite landing area for Marine One.

The helipad is designed to accommodate the newer VH-92A helicopters while reducing damage to the South Lawn caused by their powerful exhaust. Trump has said Sikorsky Aircraft, part of Lockheed Martin, would fund the project, which he estimated at as much as $6 million. Crews this month dismantled part of a granite presidential seal installed at the landing area as adjustments continued.

The scale of the wider programme places it among the most extensive transformations of the White House grounds since the middle of the 20th century. Franklin D. Roosevelt oversaw completion of the East Wing in 1942, while Harry Truman later supervised a major reconstruction of the deteriorating executive residence under a congressionally approved programme and dedicated oversight commission.