Sen. Maggie Hassan (R-N.H.) wants to know specifics about what the U.S. Secret Service is spending money on after President Donald Trump diverted funds from them to his ballroom project.
According to court filings and Trump's own personal statements, the president is renovating and expanding the presidential bunker that once sat under the East Wing of the White House. Trump bulldozed the East Wing late last year and has rushed to build his dream structure as the case to stop him works its way to the U.S. Supreme Court.
While Trump promised that he was fully funding the project with donations, he was unable to raise all of the necessary funds for the project. So, he asked Congress for funds, claiming that the ballroom project is now a "military center" and part of the national security of the White House. Trump was rushed to the bunker in 2020 when Black Lives Matter protests about two blocks away were making the Secret Service nervous. Trump maintains that he wasn't rushed to the bunker, he was simply looking at the bunker.
Congress has been unable to pass much legislation over the past two years, and the $1 billion funding the House added into a budget bill was ultimately removed. So, Trump shifted approximately $351.6 million from U.S. Secret Service funds into White House security upgrades. Even that isn't the full amount the senator said.
"I seek information on how the recent Secret Service funding diversions to the White House projects impact the ability of the Secret Service to carry out its essential responsibilities to protect the president as well as to safeguard the U.S. financial infrastructure," wrote Hassen.
Roughly $927 million in total costs are expected for the structure.
She cited a Washington Post report saying that $415 million in Secret Service funds were diverted to the ballroom construction projects.
"At least $396 million in funding appears to have been redirected in June 2026 from a $1.17 billion appropriation for the Secret Service in the 2025 'One Big Beautiful Bill Act,'" her letter continued.
She noted that the USSS was already raising concerns about the lack of resources it has to function properly. So, she wants to know a specific accounting of the USSS's budget and where the money has gone.
She further requested to know whether there have been terminations or disruptions of existing investigations as a result of the loss in funding. She asked if there have been reductions in personnel or hours for staff working on financial crimes.
She also asked if there have been impacts of outside partners, including those at the state, federal, local and even foreign government level
She also asked that the USSS "explain whether the Secret Service received any advance notice from the Office of Management and Budget prior to the diversion of funds or a rationale for this action. If so, please describe these communications. Please provide copies of any written correspondence between the Secret Service and the Office of Management and Budget, as well as any other relevant White House offices, regarding the diversion of funds," she said in the two final requests for documents.
