GOP heartburn forces messaging pivot from ‘ballroom’ for Trump security money

Republicans are avoiding the “ballroom” label as they forge ahead with $1 billion in taxpayer money to harden security for President Donald Trump’s new East Wing reconstruction as part of a party-line budget bill.

The messaging is meant to push back on Democratic claims that the White House security upgrades are subsidizing the $400 million ballroom project. Trump has repeatedly said the ballroom will be completed through private donations, not taxpayer funds.

Instead, Republicans are settling on variations of the ballroom construction’s official name — East Wing Modernization Project — to describe the tranche of security money. They say the rhetoric more accurately depicts the funding’s intent for Secret Service training and security upgrades across the White House grounds.

“It’s not about the ballroom,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) said. “It’s about the East Wing and the new construction and ensuring that that building is secure.”

Following a meeting between