By Richard Cowan
WASHINGTON, May 16 (Reuters) - Democrats hoping to win control of Congress in November's elections are seizing on Republicans' support of President Donald Trump's proposed $400 million White House ballroom to portray his party as out of touch with voters' cost-of-living concerns.
As Republicans move toward a vote that might include hundreds of millions of dollars for the ballroom, Democrats are pointing to a more than 50% jump in gasoline prices since Trump launched a war with Iran,
as well as rising healthcare, fertilizer and electricity costs they say his policies have worsened.
"It's a perfect storm of ugly," Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota told reporters, quoting a farmer in her state.
Outside of Washington, Democratic candidates are portraying the project as a frivolous diversion from working Americans' concerns.
The ballroom "is a vanity project that we don't need," Brian Poindexter, a Democrat running for a House of Representatives seat in northeastern Ohio, said in an interview. "Most of the people I hope to serve ... worry about food, utilities, paying the rent."
His rival, incumbent Republican Representative Max Miller, did not respond to a request for comment.
Some Republicans say the ballroom is a needed improvement for an outdated White House and has nothing to do with the broader economy.
"It's hard to make that connection there. It doesn't fit," said Republican Representative Daniel Webster of Florida.
Others say it's a bad look ahead of the November elections, when control of the House of Representatives and the Senate is at stake.
“We're talking about building a ballroom, and we're trying to get the economy squared away. Timing is bad," Republican Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina told CNN.
Republicans are highlighting tax cuts they passed last year as they make the case they have tackled affordability concerns. But Trump himself has not always stuck to that message.
"I don’t think about Americans’ financial situation. I don’t think about anybody," he told reporters on Tuesday when asked about rising costs spurred by the Iran war. He said his main concern was preventing Tehran from developing a nuclear weapon.
White House spokesman Davis Ingle said the administration was working to make healthcare and other costs more affordable.
The funding in question is part of a package that would enable the Secret Service "to properly address the ever growing threats of political violence in this historically heightened threat environment," Ingle said.
WASHINGTON MAKEOVER
Trump, a former real estate developer, has already demolished the East Wing of the White House as he forges ahead with the 90,000-square-foot ballroom. It would be capable of hosting large state events that are now held in tents on the South Lawn. It would sit atop a fortified underground military complex.
The scale of the project and the administration’s handling of fundraising have drawn criticism from watchdog groups who say it raises questions about transparency, donor influence and adherence to longstanding ethics norms.
Trump has said roughly $300 million has been raised for the project, though he has not provided details on the source of that money.
The ballroom is one of several efforts Trump has undertaken to overhaul Washington landmarks, including the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool and a proposed triumphal arch near Arlington Cemetery.
Trump has insisted the ballroom would not cost taxpayers one cent because of private donations and money out of his own pocket.
But after a gunman tried to storm a black-tie gala featuring Trump in April at a Washington hotel, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina called for Congress to approve $323 million in taxpayer money for the ballroom, citing security concerns.
Republicans are now advancing legislation that would include $1 billion for presidential security, including roughly $400 million for the White House complex. A vote in the Senate is possible next week.
"We want to protect our presidents no matter who they are, what party they're in," said Republican Representative Glenn Thompson of Pennsylvania. "I think that this construction project does that."
Details of the legislation have not yet been publicly released, and it is not clear whether it would fund ballroom construction directly.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune said the $1 billion is needed to bolster the Secret Service and harden the White House complex. "The ballroom is being financed privately," he said.
Democrats say the legislation contains no such guardrails. "If it's not for the ballroom, they should write that right into the bill," Democratic Senator Jeff Merkley of Oregon told Reuters.
While there is no presidential election until 2028, Trump looms large over November's midterm elections. Polling shows voters disapprove of his handling of the economy, his immigration crackdown, the Iran war -- and the ballroom.
A Washington Post-ABC News poll released this month found Americans opposed the ballroom project by 56% to 28%.
In such an environment, it may be difficult for the security funding to pass the Senate, where Republicans hold a 53-47 majority, and the House, where their 217-212 majority gives them few votes to spare.
"I have heard from residents all over the district, they don't want their hard-earned tax dollars going to Donald Trump's ballroom," said Bob Harvie, a Democratic candidate running for a Pennsylvania House seat, noting incumbent Republican Representative Brian Fitzpatrick had cast votes supporting the Iran war and Trump's tariffs.
Fitzpatrick spokesperson Casey-Lee Waldron said: "Congressman Fitzpatrick is opposed to taxpayer money being used to pay for the ballroom, and he will be voting accordingly."
(Reporting by Richard Cowan, additional reporting by Steve Holland; editing by Andy Sullivan and Cynthia Osterman)
