Trump White House Spends $250K on Bowling Alley

The Trump White House is spending more than $250,000 on renovations to its private bowling alley, a project that echoes Republican attacks on similar spending during the Obama administration. The General Services Administration awarded a nearly $253,000 contract in July to Charles Mann Enterprises for lighting work at the two-lane Harry S. Truman Bowling Alley, with an additional $8,800 contract in August for escort services to accompany workers through secure areas.

In 2014, the GSA proposed a far more extensive bowling alley renovation under President Barack Obama, which the agency determined was necessary because the lanes were “irreparable.” The project faced swift Republican backlash and was canceled within 90 minutes of public reporting, with the GOP-controlled House passing an amendment to block federal funding. Former Representative Pat Meehan (R-PA) argued the renovation was a “want,” not a “need,” comparing it to ice cream.

The current renovation stands in stark contrast to the Republican position on taxpayer spending for the same facility just 12 years ago. While First Lady Melania Trump led a restoration of the bowling alley’s wooden lane in 2019 during Trump’s first term, that project was funded by the Bowling Proprietors’ Association of America rather than federal dollars.

On the same day as the escort services contract, the GSA awarded Charles Mann Enterprises an $878,000 contract for an “EEOB basement studio project,” though the agency provided no details on whether the two projects are connected. The bowling alley is located in the EEOB basement, which houses executive offices. Neither the White House nor the GSA responded to requests for comment on the renovation work.

(Source: https://www.mediaite.com/politics/trump/trump-white-house-plans-250k-bowling-alley-renovation/)