NEW REPORT: How $300 Million in Taxpayer Dollars Could Have Been Used in Nevada Instead of Funding Trump’s Ballroom

WASHINGTON, DC - Following news that Donald Trump's ballroom project has cost $300 million in taxpayer dollars since it was first announced, the office of Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV) released the following report outlining how that money could have been better used to serve Nevadans. The new reporting from the Washington Post contradicts Trump's claims that the ballroom funding was coming from private donors and not a cent would come from the taxpayers.

"Donald Trump said his gilded ballroom would be funded without using a dollar from the American taxpayer, and it's now clear he lied," said Senator Rosen. "While Nevadans struggle daily with high prices and access to health care, the Trump Administration continues to waste their hard-earned tax dollars."

Below are estimates on how this funding could have benefited Nevada instead of a ballroom:

Health Care

• $300 million could pay for Medicaid coverage for a full year for nearly 60,000 of the Nevadans who lost it due to Trump and Washington Republican's cuts.
  • $5,052 is the average annual spending on Medicaid per enrollee in Nevada.

• $300 million could have extended the Affordable Care Act's enhanced premium tax credit for a year for nearly 54,000 Nevadans who relied on it last year.
  • In 2025, 95,000 Nevadans relied on these tax credits to help them afford health insurance and saved an average of $465 a month per enrollee.

Food

• $300 million could restore SNAP benefits for nearly 3 years for every Nevadan who was kicked off this food assistance program due to Trump and Washington Republicans' cuts in the One Big Beautiful bill.
  • 54,979 Nevadans were kicked off the program between July 2025 and January 2026.
  • Average yearly SNAP benefit per person is $1,992.

• $300 million could fund Women, Infant, and Children (WIC) benefits for all Nevadans in the program for nearly 6 years.
  • According to state data, 52,677 Nevadans rely on WIC.
  • WIC provided an average of $978.12 per participant per year.

Child care

• $300 million could cover the average cost of childcare for more than 23,000 Nevada infants for a full year.
  • The average cost of child care in Nevada for a year per infant is $12,659.

Law enforcement

• $300 million could fund a full year and a half of the COPS Hiring Program.
  • In Fiscal Year 2026, over $250 million was appropriated for the COPS Hiring program, which is designed to provide funding directly to local law enforcement agencies to hire and/or retain officers and support community policing efforts.

• $300 million could fully fund more than a year and a half of the Public Safety Officers' Benefits Program
  • In Fiscal Year 2026, $236 million was appropriated for the Public Safety Officers' Benefits program, which provides death and education benefits to survivors of fallen law enforcement officers, firefighters, and other first responders, and disability benefits to officers catastrophically injured in the line of duty.

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