Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) criticized President Donald Trump’s spending priorities, saying funds for a White House ballroom and a “weaponization fund” could instead be used for infrastructure, public health and school programs.
Trump Budget Criticism
On Tuesday, in a post on X and a video message, Slotkin said Trump is seeking $1 billion in taxpayer funding for a new White House ballroom after previously saying the expansion would be financed through private donations.
“I want to talk about President Trump’s budget,” Slotkin said.
She added, “He asked for a billion dollars of taxpayer money to go to build his new East Wing ballroom in the White House.”
The Michigan Democrat also criticized a separate $1.8 billion “weaponization fund” that she said would compensate individuals claiming they were unfairly targeted by the Department of Justice or federal agencies.
“He has already indicated that some of the people he hope applies for this fund are the people who were imprisoned as rioters on January 6, 2021,” Slotkin said, referring to those involved in the Capitol attack.
Slotkin contrasted the proposed spending with domestic priorities in Michigan, saying the same amount of money could “fix every single dam in the state,” replace “every single lead pipe,” or fund free school breakfasts and lunches for 10 years.
“Budgets are often the ways that you can tell what people really care about,” she added.
Democrats Slam Trump Spending Priorities
Earlier, Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) said Trump was favoring allies through a $1.8 billion fund and warned rising gas prices and healthcare cuts were burdening working families.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) called Trump’s spending a “personal slush fund,” pointing to nearly $2 billion for a “MAGA slush fund” and $1 billion for a White House ballroom.
He argued there was no plan to reduce household costs.
Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said Trump’s budget shifted toward foreign wars while cutting domestic programs, making life more expensive for U.S. households.
Trump defended the White House ballroom expansion, saying it was redesigned and improved from $200 million to under $400 million and rejected claims of cost overruns, saying the project remained on schedule and within budget.
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
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