[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 81 (Wednesday, May 13, 2026)]
[House]
[Page H3403]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  TRUMP ADMINISTRATION VANITY PROJECTS

  (Mr. MAGAZINER asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. MAGAZINER. Mr. Speaker, President Trump is demanding $1 billion 
of taxpayer money for his ballroom, while Americans struggle to put 
food on the table.
  He wants to spend millions more to build an arch as a monument to 
himself, while parents can't afford childcare for their children.
  He is spending millions on a no-bid contract to repaint the 
reflecting pool, while small businesses are closing down because of the 
high costs of energy caused by his unnecessary Iran war.
  This is all taxpayer money we are talking about, by the way, and the 
Rhode Islanders whom I speak to don't understand why our colleagues in 
Congress are putting more energy into trying to use their taxpayer 
money to lavish the President with gifts and monuments instead of 
making healthcare more affordable for the American people, along with 
housing, food, and childcare.
  We need to get our priorities straight as a Congress and as a 
country.

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