The Trump administration is on track to spend at least $900 million — and possibly as much as $927 million — on construction at the White House, making it the most expensive overhaul of the executive mansion in more than 80 years, according to a Washington Post investigation published Wednesday based on confidential planning and contracting documents.

Since January 2025, roughly $875 million has flowed into the account that funds work on the Executive Residence — an account historically reserved for routine maintenance rather than major construction. About $500 million of that came from transfers out of the Secret Service and the White House Military Office, another $305 million arrived from private and philanthropic donors, and roughly $70 million came from sources the documents don't identify, the Post reported.

Sidestepping Congress

The projects underway include a new East Wing ballroom — pegged at anywhere from $400 million to $600 million depending on which White House figures are used — along with upgrades to Lafayette Square, a new helipad, and a visitor screening center. What's drawn the sharpest criticism is the funding mechanism itself: rather than seeking a direct Congressional appropriation, as presidents dating back to Franklin Roosevelt have done for major White House projects, the administration funneled money through an account that doesn't require lawmakers' sign-off, according to reporting from The Hill.

The spending spree comes days after a panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit ordered construction halted pending Congressional approval. "We are aware of no instance in American history in which a president unilaterally demolished substantial portions of the White House," the judges wrote in their order.

"NO INSTANCE IN AMERICAN HISTORY"

White House spokesman Davis Ingle defended the spending, saying "President Trump continues to implement long-overdue and necessary renovations to beautify the People's House." A separate White House statement described the work as "inextricably tied to the security of the president, the White House grounds and the security infrastructure assets," according to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser's wire report.

Past presidents who undertook major White House renovations — Franklin Roosevelt's West Wing expansion, Harry Truman's total gutting and rebuild of the residence, Barack Obama's Situation Room upgrade — went through Congress for funding. Government watchdogs say the current approach raises separation-of-powers questions about a president's ability to reroute security and donor funds into a discretionary building project without lawmakers ever voting on it.

The legal fight over the halted portions of the project continues, and it's unclear how the appeals court's order will affect work already funded and underway. Congressional Democrats have signaled they'll press for hearings on the spending; the White House has given no indication it plans to seek retroactive appropriation.