Funds meant for Secret Service were transferred to project president promised would be financed by private donations

Donald Trump’s administration has quietly redirected $352m in federal funds designated for the Secret Service toward the president’s controversial White House ballroom project, despite repeated promises by Trump that the construction would be financed by private donations

The funds were drawn from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, Trump’s signature tax legislation passed last summer on Republican-only votes. The law stipulates the money may only be spent on Secret Service personnel, training facilities, technology and related costs, not construction.

About $340.8m of the funding was placed into an account labeled “Procurement, Construction, and Improvements” on 12 June, according to the office of management and budget (OMB) database. Another account labeled “Operations and Support” was also approved the same day, adding another $10.75m to the budget.

  • officermike@lemmy.world
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    5 days ago

    The next administration needs to hold Trump personally responsible for every penny when he leaves office. Seize and liquidate his existing properties if necessary.

    • naeap@sopuli.xyz
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      5 days ago

      Is there some legal base existing for that?

      Because, that would be fucking awesome, to kick him, where it hurts him
      Although, when he leaves office in a few years, he probably can’t even remember his name - or more probable, it’s the only word he still remembers

      • officermike@lemmy.world
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        5 days ago

        Is there some legal base existing for that?

        Yes.

        The Supreme Court decided the President is above the law, so it stands to reason the next President could steal everything from Trump, sodomize him with a FIFA world cup trophy, neuter him with rusty gardening shears, revoke his citizenship, and throw him in Guantanamo. As long as these are all done as official acts by the President.

        Disclaimer: I am not a lawyer. This is not legal advice.

        • OBJECTION!@lemmy.ml
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          5 days ago

          Somehow I think that if a president starts nationalizing the assets of rich white people, SCOTUS is going to decide it’s not an official act.

        • Corporal_Punishment@feddit.uk
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          5 days ago

          Guarantee that the next president, if they’re not a Republican will come up with some bullshit like “we have to show decorum” and “we must rise above and unite as a country”.

          The Democrats will have precisely one more chance to hold MAGATS and Trump to account for their crimes. I’ll put money on them wasting that opportunity

        • samus12345@sh.itjust.works
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          5 days ago

          The Republican partisan hacks of the SCROTUS decide what an official act is or isn’t, though, so it’s not an official act if a Democrat does it.

  • kungen@feddit.nu
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    5 days ago

    Interesting decision from a guy who survived a handful of alleged “assassination attempts”.

  • NM_Gringo@lemmy.world
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    5 days ago

    Of course Congress is going to weigh in any moment to put a stop to this. Here it comes…an-y second now…

  • OBJECTION!@lemmy.ml
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    5 days ago

    Redirecting money from the budgets of the people keeping himself alive is certainly a choice.

  • Poppa_Mo@lemmy.world
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    5 days ago

    So what happened to the money that was also already given to him for this? Because not all the pledges were unpaid. It started at 200 million, doubled to 400 million, then the bunker news dropped, now we’re here. (Oh yeah and another staged assassination attempt)

  • i_am_not_a_robot@discuss.tchncs.de
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    5 days ago

    He said it would be funded by private donations and that’s exactly what is happening. You just thought “private” meant “belonging to or concerning an individual person, company, or interest” when it actually meant “not known or intended to be known publicly.” He’s privately donating the citizens’ money to himself.