Washington, DC — While imposing across-the-board layoffs, grant rescissions, and lease cancellations in federal civilian agencies, President Trump is hemorrhaging tax dollars on vanity projects and personal perks, according to Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER). Trump has greenlighted nearly half a billion dollars in tax funds for vanity projects such as a military parade, a statuary garden, an upgrade to Air Force One, and new Oval Office decor.

For the upcoming fiscal year, President Trump is proposing to cut discretionary domestic spending by more than 22% for an overall $163 billion reduction, including cutting more than $32 billion across agencies charged with monitoring weather, oceans and the atmosphere and protecting natural and historic resources, parks and conservation lands.

Yet, the expenses for White House operation and special events he has commissioned are ballooning rather than contracting.

“In contrast to cuts in scientific research, public health programs, and environmental protections, Trump’s increased spending largely benefits no one but himself,” remarked PEER’s Executive Director Tim Whitehouse. “Rhetoric about cutting waste and reducing unnecessary expenses apparently does not apply to the White House itself.”

PEER points to a litany of added Trump-ordered expenses which far outstrip his spending during his first term, including Trump orders to –

• Redecorate the White House, with $1.7 million in new furniture and fixtures (including much gold plating) in the Oval Office and reception areas, to be followed by a $100 million project to construct a new White House ballroom and relandscape the Rose Garden;
• Throw a “spectacular birthday party” in July 2026 to mark the 250^th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. This multi-state celebration would cost taxpayers an estimated $100 million, with final costs expected to climb;
• Stage a military parade this June in Washington, DC, of more than 150 military vehicles and 50 aircraft, including Chinook and Black Hawk helicopters, and a performance by the famed Army Golden Knights precision parachute team (with an estimated cost to taxpayers of $45 million); and
• Create a National Garden of American Heroes, at an overall cost of $34 million to taxpayers.

“Trump’s imperial-style profligacy makes a mockery of the tens of thousands of federal employees, many in entry-level positions, being shown the door in the name of austerity,” added Whitehouse, noting that Trump’s even more frequent golf outings are on pace to exceed the more than $150 million his rounds of golf cost taxpayers during his first term. “Bread and circuses did not save the ancient Roman emperors, and they will not help this self-proclaimed American Caesar.”

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Look at the tally sheet for Trump’s vanity projects

See Executive Order on the Sesquicentennial and the Garden of American Heroes 2

Compare harmful DOGE-directed cuts