How $1 Billion Could Help Virginians Instead of Funding Trump’s Ballroom

WASHINGTON – Following the news that Senate Republicans will try to use $1 billion in taxpayer dollars to pay for Donald Trump’s ballroom project, the offices of Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) released the following report outlining how that funding could be used to help Virginians instead.

“It’s absurd that Senate Republicans are asking for $1 billion dollars to fund Trump’s ballroom after making historic cuts to SNAP and Medicaid, and refusing to extend healthcare tax credits,” said the senators. “To make matters worse, Trump’s war of choice is causing costs on groceries, gas, and consumer goods to soar. While Americans are struggling to make ends meet, Trump and Senate Republicans are focused on using tax dollars to build a ballroom.”

Below are estimates of what $1 billion could fund in Virginia instead of Trump’s ballroom:

Health Care:

• $1 billion could pay for Medicaid coverage for a full year for over 25% of the Virginians who lost it due to Trump and Washington Republicans’ cuts in their 2025 budget megabill.
  • 365,719 fewer Virginians were enrolled in Medicaid as of January 2026 when compared to 2023.
  • $10,219 is the average annual spending on Medicaid per enrollee in Virginia.
• $1 billion could have extended the Affordable Care Act’s enhanced premium tax credit for most of the year for nearly two-thirds of the Virginians who relied on it last year. 
  • In 2025, 326,268 Virginians relied on these tax credits to help them afford health insurance and saved an average of $405 a month per enrollee. 

Food:

• $1 billion could restore SNAP benefits for nearly five years for every Virginian who was kicked off this food assistance program due to Trump and Washington Republicans’ cuts in their 2025 budget megabill.
  • 100,913 Virginians were kicked off the program between July 2025 and January 2026.
  • Average yearly SNAP benefit per person is $2,127.
• $1 billion could fund Women, Infant, and Children (WIC) benefits for all Virginians in the program for over 15 years.
  • According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 98,711 Virginians rely on WIC.
  • WIC provided an average of $652.8 per participant per year.
• $1 billion could cover groceries for 118,119 Virginia families for a full year. 
  • According to recent data, the average Virginia household spends an average of $8,466 on groceries per year. 

Housing:

• $1 billion could cover the average yearly rent for 46,399 Virginia households. 
  • The average monthly rent for a one-bedroom apartment in Virginia is $1,796. 
• $1 billion could pay for a year of average electricity costs for half a million Virginia households.
  • Virginia households spend approximately $1,900 on average a year for electricity.
• $1 billion could pay for the construction or preservation of about 2,000 affordable homes across Virginia.
  • Building or preserving an affordable home typically costs a little over $500,000.

Child Care:

• $1 billion could pay for child care for 59,537 infants.
  • The average annual cost of infant child care in Virginia is $16,796. 

Other:

• $1 billion could cover 12,500,000 America the Beautiful passes for Americans to visit National Parks across the country, including Virginia’s Shenandoah National Park.
  • America the Beautiful passes for U.S. citizens and residents cost $80.
• $1 billion could fund a year of transportation costs for 74,732 households in Virginia.
  • On average, Virginian households spend $13,381 a year on transportation costs.

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