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Sen. Rand Paul backs Trump's ballroom after Saturday correspondents' dinner shooting

President Donald Trump speaks in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House after a shooting incident outside the ballroom at at the annual White House Correspondents' Association dinner in Washington, Saturday, April 25, 2026, as acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and FBI director Kash Patel listen. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
Jose Luis Magana/AP
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FR159526 AP
President Donald Trump speaks in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House after a shooting incident outside the ballroom at at the annual White House Correspondents' Association dinner in Washington, Saturday, April 25, 2026, as acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and FBI director Kash Patel listen. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

Republicans in Congress — including Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul — launched new efforts Monday to approve and pay for President Donald Trump’s proposed ballroom at the White House, arguing that it would help avert security breaches like the shooting at Saturday’s White House Correspondents’ Association dinner.

In a social media post, Paul wrote that he stands with Trump on the project, adding it's "clear we need this secure, large-scale event space on the grounds for the president, for future administrations, and America."

Paul's bill would keep the ballroom project privately funded with no cost to taxpayers. It would also require that any executive residence project over $1 million be reviewed by Homeland Security and two congressional committees.

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said Monday that Trump wants to seclude himself in a “walled palace, literally" — going on to say Republicans should instead focus on funding a spending bill that includes money for the U.S. Secret Service, which is part of the Homeland Security Department and has been shut down for more than two months.