Blumenthal Questions Massive No-Bid Contract Awarded to Trump's Ballroom Construction Firm

[WASHINGTON, DC] - Today, U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (PSI), wrote Clark Construction CEO Robert Moser and the National Park Service (NPS) regarding a no-bid contract awarded to Clark Construction to make repairs to public fountains in Lafayette Square, across the street from the White House - which occurred just a few months after President Donald Trump chose the company to build his ballroom. According to new reporting in the New York Times, the previous administration estimated the work on the Lafayette Square project to cost $3.3 million; documents show that a new contract with Clark Construction has ballooned to $17.4 million in taxpayer dollars.

"The federal government's ballooning payments to Clark Construction and the circumstances of its recent contract to renovate Lafayette Park raise troubling questions about whether excess taxpayer dollars are being diverted to Clark Construction, and whether its unilateral selection may constitute an undisclosed reward for its central role in President Trump's preferred vanity project," Blumenthal wrote.

In October, Blumenthal wrote Clark Construction requesting information regarding its selection as the builder of President Trump's ballroom. Clark Construction's response shared no details on how the firm was selected to build the ballroom nor the terms of its agreement with the Trump White House.

As Ranking Member of PSI, Blumenthal has led an inquiry into the use of private donations to fund President Trump's $300 million ballroom and has repeatedly raised concerns about donors that have deep financial, business, or other personal interests before the Trump Administration.

In December, Blumenthal wrote several individuals, including Roblox CEO David Baszucki, demanding answers about their reported contribution to the ballroom following an October 15, 2025 dinner that raised for the project. As part of his inquiry, Blumenthal also wrote to Shalom Baranes Associates Architects, which has taken on the project following President Trump's clash with the previous architect.

Blumenthal has also written to each of the reported donors to the White House ballroom project as well as donors previously kept secret by the White House to seek information about the terms of their donations and any potential deals made in exchange for contributions.

The full text of today's letter to Clark Construction is available here and copied below. The full text of today's letter to NPS is available here.

Dear Mr. Moser:

I write regarding troubling new reports concerning a no-bid contract awarded to Clark Construction Group, LLC to conduct restoration work and repair two water fountains at Lafayette Park, located across the street from the White House. These reports are even more alarming in light of Clark Construction's recent selection as the lead builder of President Trump's $400 million White House ballroom, a role that involves a contract of undisclosed, yet presumably lucrative, value.^[1] The federal government's ballooning payments to Clark Construction and the circumstances of its recent contract to renovate Lafayette Park raise troubling questions about whether excess taxpayer dollars are being diverted to Clark Construction, and whether its unilateral selection may constitute an undisclosed reward for its central role in President Trump's preferred vanity project.

In 2022, the National Park Service estimated that work to repair two ornamental fountains in Lafayette Park would cost approximately $3.3 million.^[2] Yet, earlier this year, the Trump Administration reportedly agreed to pay Clark Construction $11.9 million to perform that same work, and made iterative increases in the scope of the project resulting in a total award of more than $17 million.^[3] The National Parks Service assigned the contract to Clark Construction without opening it to competitive bidding as required by federal procurement law, invoking an "urgency" exception intended to be used in the event of wars and natural disasters.^[4]

Clark Construction's apparent receipt of a contract of excessively inflated value is troubling on its own. But these reports are even more alarming in light of Clark Construction's lack of transparency concerning its role in building the White House ballroom. On October 28, 2025, I wrote to Clark Construction requesting information regarding its selection as the builder of President Trump's ballroom.^[5] Clark Construction's November 12, 2025 response was entirely inadequate, providing no details on how the firm was selected to build the ballroom nor the terms of its agreement with the Trump White House. Clark Construction's conduct and failure to respond adequately to my prior request raises questions as to whether it should remain "on a pre-approved list of contractors for projects on the White House grounds," a role that Clark Construction highlighted in its response to the Subcommittee.^[6]

The American people deserve to know whether excess taxpayer dollars are being used-without the authorization of Congress-to reward the President's preferred partners. To assist the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations in its inquiry, please preserve all documents, records,^[7] and communications^[8] related to your firm's participation in the renovation of Lafayette Park, and please provide specific responses to the following questions by May 15, 2026:

1. Have you entered into any agreement, formal or informal, to receive work from the federal government at above market prices in exchange for a reduced fee for the construction of the Trump ballroom?
2. How did you become aware of the opportunity to participate in the renovation of Lafayette Park?
3. Did you participate in a competitive or otherwise open bidding process prior to being selected for the renovation in Lafayette Park? 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 renovation of Lafayette Park? Please provide all materials that you submitted.
5. What are the terms of the agreement(s) you entered into regarding the renovation of Lafayette Park? 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 renovation of Lafayette Park.
6. Please produce all cost estimates for the renovation of Lafayette Park 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. When were the initial plans for the renovation of Lafayette Park submitted and approved?
8. 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?
9. 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.

Please contact the Subcommittee if you have any questions about responding to these requests.

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