WASHINGTON — Dallas-based engineering giant AECOM, a lead contractor on President Donald Trump’s new White House ballroom, has declined to provide information sought by Senate Democrats, citing secrecy provisions in its contract with the administration.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., called the company’s refusal to answer questions “entirely unsatisfactory” and said Democrats are weighing additional steps to force disclosure.
“We’re going to pursue as much facts and evidence as we can,” Blumenthal told The Dallas Morning News. “And we’re reviewing other ways that we can demand more information and also highlight and elevate this issue for the public.”
The fight turns on whether contractors on a privately funded White House project have to answer to Congress. Trump picked AECOM as one of the primary firms to engineer the ballroom, the major new build on the site of the East Wing after its demolition in October.
Political Points
Trump repeatedly has defended the project, arguing the White House needs a larger space for major events, including during a Hanukkah reception Tuesday night.
He also noted that a judge had declined, for now, to block construction on what has become one of his signature projects.
Trump has pegged the ballroom at $400 million, roughly double early estimates.
“Who else but in our country would sue to stop a $400 million beautiful ballroom that people have been after?” he said. “The White House has wanted a ballroom for 150 years.”
The Adelson family, casino magnates, major Republican donors and owners of the Dallas Mavericks, are among the private contributors backing the project. Miriam Adelson attended Tuesday’s White House event.
Democrats argue the public deserves full transparency about how the ballroom is being financed and whether donors with federal business stand to benefit.
Blumenthal, Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., and other Democrats wrote to the White House in October seeking a complete accounting of the ballroom’s financing and the terms under which donations were accepted.
Corporate donors to the project include Irving-based Caterpillar, a global manufacturing company with extensive federal contracts.
The White House announced in July that Trump had chosen McCrery Architects as the lead architect on the project, that Clark Construction is overseeing construction and AECOM is leading the engineering team.
Blumenthal sent similar letters in late October to all three firms demanding details about their selection and contracts.
The White House said earlier this month it was bringing in a new architect to oversee the project, Shalom Baranes Associates, while McCrery would stay on as a consultant.
Many questions
Blumenthal’s letter to AECOM laid out a series of questions about how AECOM was selected for the project, whether the work was competitively bid and what the contract terms require.
He highlighted how Trump had promised the new ballroom “would not interfere with the current building,” before later ordering the demolition of the entire East Wing, without warning. Blumenthal also pointed to the ballroom’s growing capacity and escalating cost.
Blumenthal wrote that AECOM and its subsidiaries are currently performing work on more than $2.5 billion in federal contracts, a relationship he said could create incentives to remain in the administration’s favor.
He also asked whether the company or its affiliates have worked on construction of any Trump Organization properties or plan to bid on Trump-affiliated projects.
No answers
AECOM’s response, spanning a single page, was brief.
The company touted its performance as a leading infrastructure design firm and said it has partnered with the federal government for decades, across multiple administrations, on thousands of projects.
The company said it is providing engineering, design and related services on the new ballroom but that its contract requires all project information be kept in strict confidence.
AECOM directed Blumenthal to seek additional information from the White House.
AECOM did not respond to emails from The News requesting comment on the congressional inquiries. Calls to the main phone number listed on its website went to a voicemail box that was full and unable to accept messages.
The White House did not respond to emailed requests for comment.
Blumenthal said it’s important Congress and the public receive the information he’s seeking about the project.
“It ultimately is a determinant of whether people see the whole truth and whether big institutions and powerful people are held accountable,” Blumenthal said.