Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) took aim at President Donald Trump's budget priorities on Tuesday, arguing that billions earmarked for a White House ballroom and a so-called 'weaponization fund' could be better spent on things that actually help people.
In a post on X and a video message, Slotkin pointed out that Trump is asking for $1 billion in taxpayer money to build a new East Wing ballroom at the White House — even though he previously said the expansion would be paid for with private donations.
'I want to talk about President Trump's budget,' Slotkin said. 'He asked for a billion dollars of taxpayer money to go to build his new East Wing ballroom in the White House.'
She also went after a separate $1.8 billion 'weaponization fund' that would compensate people who claim they were unfairly targeted by the Department of Justice or other federal agencies. Slotkin noted that Trump has indicated some of the people he hopes will apply are those imprisoned for their role in the January 6, 2021 Capitol attack.
'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,' she said.
Slotkin then laid out what that same amount of money could do for her home state of Michigan: fix every single dam, replace every lead pipe, or provide free breakfast and lunch for every school kid for a decade.
'Budgets are often the ways that you can tell what people really care about,' she added.
She's not the only Democrat sounding the alarm. Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) said Trump is using the $1.8 billion fund to favor allies while rising gas prices and healthcare cuts hurt working families. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) called the spending a 'personal slush fund,' pointing to nearly $2 billion for a 'MAGA slush fund' and $1 billion for a ballroom. He argued there's no plan to reduce household costs.
Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg chimed in, saying Trump's budget shifts money toward foreign wars while cutting domestic programs, making life more expensive for U.S. households.
Trump has defended the ballroom expansion, saying the project was redesigned and improved, with costs coming in under $400 million — down from an earlier $200 million estimate — and that it remains on schedule and within budget.
