Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is blasting the Trump administration over controversial plans tied to a new White House ballroom project, arguing that the administration is prioritizing luxury upgrades while millions of Americans struggle to survive financially.
Speaking to reporters recently, the New York congresswoman condemned proposals supported by some Senate Republicans that would allocate $1 billion to the U.S. Secret Service for security upgrades and adjustments connected to the White House’s planned 90,000-square-foot “East Wing Modernization Project.”
“I think that people can’t feed themselves,” Ocasio-Cortez said. “They’re having a hard time affording their groceries. They’re having an even harder time, in a lot of ways, affording their rent and mortgages.”
The criticism comes as President Donald Trump has repeatedly insisted that the ballroom itself would be funded through donations rather than taxpayer money.
However, critics argue that the proposed federal spending connected to security and infrastructure surrounding the project still places a massive financial burden on the government at a time when many Americans are facing economic hardship.
Ocasio-Cortez accused the administration of being disconnected from the realities facing working-class families across the country.
“Why should this administration, and this president has openly said that he doesn’t care or doesn’t think about the financial situations of everyday Americans at all, then try to take a billion dollars more, I mean more, out of our healthcare and put that towards a ballroom when people are already struggling?” she asked.
The congresswoman called the proposal “deeply out of touch” and said it sends the wrong message to Americans trying to make ends meet.
“It’s insulting to everyday people who are trying to get by on an honest day’s work,” she added.
The debate surrounding the ballroom proposal has quickly become part of a broader political fight over federal spending priorities, healthcare funding, and economic inequality ahead of upcoming midterm elections.
Supporters of the project argue that upgrades tied to presidential security and White House infrastructure are necessary. Critics, however, say the optics of spending tied to an extravagant expansion project while families face rising costs for housing, food, and healthcare are politically damaging and morally questionable.
Ocasio-Cortez’s remarks have since circulated widely online, with supporters praising her for spotlighting the growing affordability crisis affecting working Americans.
