Blumenthal Questions White House Ballroom Contractors on Participation in Construction Project, Terms of Involvement

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Ranking Member of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, wrote a letter to the lead architect, construction firm, and engineering firm working on President Donald Trump's White House ballroom project-a renovation that has a ballooning cost and has involved the demolition of the historic East Wing of the White House. In his letter, Blumenthal pressed the contractors on how they became involved in the project and the terms of their selection to participate.

"On July 31, 2025, President Trump announced plans to construct a new ballroom on White House grounds, to be designed by McCrery Architects, engineered by AECOM, and built by Clark Construction. No information was provided to Congress or the public about how and why those firms were selected, the terms of the contracts with those firms, or whether the contracts were competitively bid," wrote Blumenthal. "The rapidly changing and secretive terms of President Trump's plans have raised serious questions about how the most iconic residence in America is about to be transformed, whether the costs will be contained to amounts the President intends to privately fundraise, and whether the American people will be provided any advance notice over the most extensive reconstruction of the White House since the presidency of Harry S. Truman."

"According to your website, your total government project portfolio is over $24 billion, meaning you have much to gain from being in President Trump's good graces… Yet while your firm has been described as leading construction of the White House Demolition Project, Congress and the public have still received no information concerning how and why you were selected, your construction plans, the terms of your contract, or what you expect the Project to cost," wrote Blumenthal in his letter to Clark Construction Group CEO, Robert Moser.

Last week, Blumenthal sent a letter to the donors of President Trump's White House ballroom project inquiring about the amount of their donations and any potential agreements reached in exchange for their contributions. The list of 30 plus donors includes wealthy individuals, tech companies, and other major corporations-including Apple, Meta, Google, and Amazon.

The text of Blumenthal's letter to Moser can be found below and here. Similar letters were sent to McCrery Architects and AECOM.

Dear Mr. Moser:

On July 31, 2025, President Trump announced plans to construct a new ballroom on White House grounds, to be designed by McCrery Architects, engineered by AECOM, and built by Clark Construction.¹ No information was provided to Congress or the public about how and why those firms were selected, the terms of the contracts with those firms, or whether the contracts were competitively bid. Moreover, although no detailed plans for demolition or construction were provided at that time, the President promised that the new ballroom "won't interfere with the current building. It'll be near it, but not touching."² Yet last week, the President shocked the American public by demolishing the entire East Wing of the White House without warning.³ He additionally announced that the estimated capacity of the ballroom would be "a little bigger" than initially planned, increasing nearly 40 percent from 650 to 900, and that and cost of the project was projected to jump 50 percent to $300 million from a previous projection of $200 million.⁴

The rapidly changing and secretive terms of President Trump's plans have raised serious questions about how the most iconic residence in America is about to be transformed, whether the costs will be contained to amounts the President intends to privately fundraise, and whether the American people will be provided any advance notice over the most extensive reconstruction of the White House since the presidency of Harry S. Truman.⁵ Accordingly, pursuant to Senate Rule XXV of the Standing Rules of the Senate and Senate Resolution 94 (119th Cong.), Section 12, I write to request information regarding your company's role in President Trump's plans to demolish the East Wing of the White House and construct a new ballroom in its place (hereinafter the "White House Demolition Project" or "Project").

Clark Construction Group, LLC ("Clark Construction"), its subsidiaries, and affiliates, are currently completing work on federal contracts worth approximately $4 billion.⁶ According to your website, your total government projects portfolio is over $24 billion, meaning you have much to gain from being in President Trump's good graces.⁷ Yet while your firm has been described as leading the construction of the White House Demolition Project, Congress and the public have still received no information concerning how and why you were selected, your construction plans, the terms of your contract, or what you expect the Project to cost. The American people are entitled to all the relevant facts about the most substantial demolition and renovation at the White House in recent history.

To assist the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations in its inquiry, please preserve all documents, records,⁸ and communications⁹ related to your firm's participation in the White Demolition Project, and provide the following information by November 12, 2025:

1. How did you become aware of the opportunity to participate in the White House Demolition Project?
2. 1. Please include the date you became aware of this Project, the nature of any communication you received, the identity of any person or persons who solicited your participation, and the scope of the Project as it was initially described. Please also provide any solicitation materials you received.
3. Did you participate in a competitive or otherwise open bidding process prior to being selected to participate in the White House Demolition Project? Please describe the nature of this process.
4. Did you submit any materials as a part of the bidding process or prior to being selected to participate in the White House Demolition Project? Please provide all materials that you submitted.
5. What are the terms of the agreement(s) you entered into regarding the Project? Please provide a copy of any and all agreements you have entered into with the National Park Service, the White House or any other federal government entity as part of your work on the White House Demolition Project.
6. Have you prepared cost estimates for your company's work on the White House Demolition Project? If so, what costs are projected and for which stages of the Project? Please produce all cost estimates prepared to date. To the extent that cost projections change over time, please provide updates on a monthly basis through completion of the Project.
7. Have you prepared any engineering, construction, or design plans related to the White House Demolition Project?
8. 1. If so, please provide a copy of any such plans prepared to date and any updates to plans on a monthly basis through completion of the Project.
   2. Have your plans been submitted to the National Capital Planning Commission or the Commission of Fine Arts? If not, why not and when will they be?
   3. Do your plans reflect any feedback already provided by the White House, National Capital Planning Commission, the Commission of Fine Arts, or any other entity? If so, please describe the source of any feedback and how you incorporated it.
9. When were the initial plans for the addition of the ballroom submitted and approved?
10. 1. Who authorized, or otherwise approved, the plans for the ballroom?
    2. When did you first learn that the construction of the ballroom would require the complete demolition of the East Wing of the White House?
11. Please provide a copy of any and all agreements you have entered into with any subcontractors as part of your work on the White House Demolition Project.
12. Since 2010, have you and/or any of your subsidiaries or affiliates participated in the construction of any properties owned or licensed by The Trump Organization, Inc., or any of their affiliates or subsidiaries, or do you have plans to bid on or otherwise participate in the construction of any Trump-affiliated properties?
13. 1. If so, please list each project and include your company's role, the date or estimated date of completion, and how much your company was or will be compensated in total for its participation.
14. Please provide a list of all federal government contracts you have bid for since January 20, 2025, including the date and purpose of each contract and the status of each bid.
15. Have you or anyone in your organization signed non-disclosure agreements related to your work on the Project, or any other document purporting to limit your ability to communicate about the project? If so, please provide a copy of that document and a list of the individuals who signed it.
16. What vetting process, if any, have you engaged in to ensure that the members of your organization working on the Project have adequate clearance to access planning files for the renovation, the White House construction site, or to otherwise work on the Project?

Please contact the Subcommittee if you have any questions about responding to these requests. Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Sincerely,

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