Lawmakers Intensify Push For Trump’s $400 Million Ballroom After Correspondents’ Dinner Shooting

BreakingBusinessLawmakers Intensify Push For Trump’s $400 Million Ballroom After Correspondents’ Dinner ShootingByAntonio Pequeño IV,Forbes Staff. Pequeño is a breaking news reporter who covers tech and more.Follow AuthorApr 27, 2026, 03:03pm EDT--:-- / --:--This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.ToplineLawmakers and members of the Trump administration are ramping up a push for the president’s White House ballroom after a shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Saturday, with some saying its construction is now crucial to national security.Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., is one of multiple Republicans pushing for the ballroom. Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty ImagesKey FactsThe shooting, which took place at the Washington Hilton, resulted in non-life-threatening injuries for a Secret Service agent and the arrest of a suspect, who reportedly mocked security measures at the event in a manifesto.White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Monday afternoon that the White House ballroom is “not just a fun project,” but is "actually critical for our national security."Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said in a tweet Sunday the ballroom was “a national security necessity" that would provide Secret Service “immense control over the security environment of future events with a very hardened facility.”Graham said Sunday he would introduce legislation Monday to “authorize and appropriate money to fully fund the White House presidential ballroom,” pushing for the measure after a federal judge said this month President Donald Trump would need congressional approval for his ballroom—though a court recently ruled construction can continue while the ruling is appealed.When Rep. Pat Fallon, R-Texas, was asked by Fox News if he had a recommendation for how to improve security measures at high-profile events like the White House Correspondents’ dinner, the congressman said “t...