Nebraska-based Union Pacific donates to White House ballroom construction

Union Pacific railroad, which is headquartered in Omaha, is among 37 donors to the White House’s new ballroom construction. A White House official released this week the project’s full donor list so far, which consisted of massive corporations like Amazon, Meta, Google and owners of other private companies.

Union Pacific has not responded to questions about the donation. The White House has not detailed how much the private donors have given toward the project.

President Donald Trump announced the lavish ballroom plans over the summer, saying the project would cost around $200 million. The news release on the project stated President Trump “and other patriot donors” would pay for the renovations. But costs for the construction have grown to $300 million, which the White House says will still be paid for by donors.

The White House argued the transformation is necessary to host “major functions honoring world leaders and other countries.” The initial plans included adding 90,000 square feet of “ornately designed and carefully crafted space” that could seat 650 people. The current East Room of the White House has a 200-person capacity.

The president initially said the construction of the ballroom wouldn’t “interfere with the current building,” but this week, he told reporters that “in order to do it properly, we had to take down the existing structure.” But crews began tearing down parts of the White House this week. The demolition appears to include the removal of the East Garden Room, East Colonnade and Family Theater.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a reporter briefing Thursday that “plans changed” and that in order for the East Wing to be “modern and beautiful for many, many years to come …this Phase 1 that we’re now in was necessary.”

Several groups have raised alarm about the sudden demolition. The National Trust for Historic Preservation penned a letter this week that said it was “deeply concerned that the massing and height of the proposed new construction will overwhelm the White House itself … and may also permanently disrupt the carefully balanced design of the White House with its two smaller, and lower, East and West wings.”

The White House Historical Association told NPR it created a historic record, including digital scans and photographs, prior to the demolition.

“The East Wing and gardens have been captured in detail for the benefit of our nation and historic artifacts from the East Wing have been preserved and stored,” the statement read.

The White House said it expects the project to be complete by the end of President Trump’s current term.