Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) criticized President Donald Trump’s plans for a new White House ballroom on Tuesday, telling reporters that the “timing is bad” for him to begin tearing down part of the East Wing to make space for the project.
“We’re in the middle of a shutdown. Got a couple of other things going on that we should probably focus on ahead of a building project,” Tillis said as he entered the Senate chamber for an afternoon vote.
His comment comes shortly after Trump hosted Senate Republicans at the White House for a “thank you” lunch in the Rose Garden, where the president delivered a speech on the legislative victories of his first nine months back in office.
At one point, Trump addressed the noise of construction that could be heard in the background as demolition crews took apart the East Wing’s facade for what will be a 90,000-square-foot project with an estimated price tag of $250 million.
“You hear that sound? Oh, that’s music to my ears. I love that sound,” Trump said in the Rose Garden, telling senators the noise reminds him of his career in real estate.
“When I hear that sound, it reminds me of money,” he added. “In this case, it reminds me of lack of money because I’m paying for it.”
The White House says no taxpayer dollars will be used to build the ballroom. Trump will instead raise funds from Lockheed Martin, Google, and other private donors, plus an undisclosed portion of his own wealth.
Tillis, who has an on-and-off-again relationship with Trump, did not attend the White House lunch on Tuesday, telling reporters he had just returned to Washington from a funeral. Republicans who went declined to criticize the shutdown optics.
The demolition, which began on Monday, is taking place as federal workers begin to miss paychecks three weeks into the government shutdown.
“Construction is not in my job description,” Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) told HuffPost.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD), who delivered brief remarks at the lunch, made a point to praise the extent to which Trump has given the White House a makeover.
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“You have beautiful homes, and thank you for everything you’re doing to make this such a beautiful place,” Thune said.
“We did see the big excavator or whatever going at it, and you can hear the jackhammers,” Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) said of the construction. “So, it’s happening.”
