Democrats Vow to Push Back on Trump's "Vanity Projects" in Congress

Democrats say they will use their soon-to-be congressional majority to push back on what they call President Donald Trump's "vanity projects," according to NPR.

Rep. Jared Huffman, D-Calif., is the top Democrat on the House Natural Resources Committee. That committee has legislative authority over public lands and national parks, and Huffman is expected to become its chair. The panel's power to write laws and conduct oversight would give him a central role in any challenge to the projects.

Huffman said a Democrat-led Congress will fight the administration's construction projects. He said Democrats cannot look away while sacred, iconic places are permanently changed in ways that violate the law. He also accused the administration of moving ahead with bulldozers and tree cutters while waiting for the courts to stop them.

The most visible project is a ballroom at the White House. The administration cut down hundreds of trees at East Potomac Park and demolished the East Wing of the White House to make room for it. NPR reported that Trump signed the final steel beam at the ballroom the day after the midterm elections.

Trump also showed the ballroom to reporters the day after the midterms. He called it "the safest place in Washington."