Garamendi Amendment Seeks to Block $150M Pentagon Funds for White House Ballroom

The amendment, introduced to the NDAA, tests congressional authority over executive construction spending funded through defense appropriations.

Rep. John Garamendi (D-Calif.), a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee, announced plans to introduce a floor amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that would fully restrict at least $150 million in Pentagon funds from being applied to the construction of a ballroom at the White House, according to reporting by The Hill published June 28, 2026. Garamendi is among the senior Democratic members of the Armed Services Committee, a panel with direct jurisdiction over Pentagon appropriations and spending authorizations.

The amendment targets a specific line of military funding the Trump administration has directed — or is reported to be directing — toward White House renovation and construction. The precise appropriations account or budget line from which the $150 million figure is drawn has not been identified in publicly available documents as of this writing. The full text of Garamendi's amendment, which would clarify the source account and restriction mechanism, would be found in the official NDAA amendment filings submitted to the House Rules Committee or published in the Congressional Record upon floor consideration.

The NDAA is an annual must-pass piece of legislation that authorizes defense spending and sets policy for the Department of Defense. Floor amendments to the NDAA are a standard legislative mechanism for members of both parties to impose spending restrictions or policy riders. The amendment process is governed by rules set by the House Rules Committee for each year's bill. Whether Garamendi's amendment will receive a floor vote depends on whether the Rules Committee makes it in order — a procedural decision that has not yet been publicly reported.

The White House has not issued a public statement responding to Garamendi's announced amendment as of June 30, 2026. No Republican member of the House Armed Services Committee has been reported as co-sponsoring or opposing the specific amendment on the record at this time. The administration's legal authority to redirect Pentagon funds to White House construction projects has not been adjudicated in any publicly identified court filing.

Key facts that remain unknown include: the specific Pentagon appropriations account identified as the funding source, the full amendment text and any exceptions it contains, and whether the Rules Committee will grant the amendment a floor vote. The Congressional Record, the House Rules Committee's published amendment list for the NDAA, and USASpending.gov contract data for White House construction would be the primary public records that could answer these questions.