June 30 (Reuters) – White House officials last year awarded a no-bid contract worth up to $500 million for the construction of the East Wing ballroom, the Washington Post reported on Tuesday, citing a copy of the agreement.Â
The contract was awarded through the Executive Residence, an office that is exempt from rules requiring federal agencies to seek competitive bids and publicly disclose contract details, according to the report. Â
U.S. President Donald Trump was directly involved in negotiating some costs for the ballroom, the Washington Post report said.Â
The contract was awarded to Virginia-based Clark Construction, which charged a 3% profit for its early work on the East Wing, the newspaper added.
Reuters could not verify the report. The White House and Clark Construction did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment.Â
The renovation of the ballroom is part of Trump’s ambitious revamp of Washington, which also includes plans for a 250-foot (76-meter) arch, a refurbishment of the National Mall reflecting pool, and a new promenade for the Lincoln Memorial.
The president had previously said he and wealthy donors would fund the ballroom project, but later asked Congress for $1 billion in taxpayer money for security upgrades. Senate Republicans, with an eye on November midterm elections, said no.
(Reporting by Chandni Shah in Bengaluru; Editing by Andrew Heavens and Ros Russell)
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