CT Congress members question Sikorsky-funded White House helipad; draw Trump administration ire
Several Congress members from Connecticut are questioning a helipad at the White House that is being built and funded by the Stratford-headquartered helicopter manufacturer Sikorsky, the latest of their many disagreements with President Donald Trump.
Trump, a Republican, announced the project on Monday as he argued that it was a necessary addition for the White House to handle the emissions of the newer Marine One aircraft, a roster that includes a number of Sikorsky helicopters. However, Sens. Chris Murphy and Richard Blumenthal, as well as Reps. Joe Courtney, Rosa DeLauro and John Larson, who are all Democrats, contended that Trump has not provided enough information about the project.
“The men and women of Sikorsky produce the world’s finest helicopters, and their top-notch craftsmanship and innovation deserve to be celebrated. The issue of Marine One engine exhaust burning the White House South Lawn goes back years and must be addressed to bring Sikorsky’s next-generation Marine One helicopters into service,” Blumenthal, Murphy, Courtney, DeLauro and Larson said in a joint written statement on Wednesday. “But once again, President Trump is rushing to complete yet another White House project without providing the American people with the transparency they deserve. It’s a slap in the face to workers who’ll have to work overtime and the taxpayers who may end up footing the bill.”
White House officials dismissed the Connecticut contingent's concerns.
“The Dumocrats are opposed to anything President Trump does because they are America Last losers,” Davis Ingle, a White House spokesman, said in a written statement on Wednesday. “For years, the White House has desperately needed a proper helipad on White House grounds that will allow the president to land safely and also protect the beautiful South Lawn grass from the fierce exhaust fumes of the incredible Marine One. Thanks to President Trump, the White House has never looked better, and it will only continue to get better under his leadership.”
Missions assigned to Marine Helicopter Squadron One use three Sikorsky models: the VH-3D, the VH-60N and the VH-92A, with delivery of the latter group completed in 2024. The VH-92A carried out the first “presidential lift” in Chicago in August 2024 and “continues to support administrative lifts of the president outside the National Capital Region,” according to a written statement provided Wednesday by a Marine Corps spokesperson.
“The Marine Corps works with the White House Military Office, Presidential Helicopters Program Office (PMA-274) and Marine Helicopter Squadron One (HMX-1) to ensure the conditions are set for a successful transition from the VH-3D and VH-60N aircraft to the VH-92A,” the Marine Corps’ statement added. “This is an event-driven goal, not a time-driven one. Due to operational security, we are unable to discuss additional specifics.”
In the meantime, the newer helicopters are too powerful to land on the White House lawn without damaging the grass, according to Trump.
“It’s not that the grass gets discolored — it gets ripped out,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Monday.
Trump said that Sikorsky was building the helipad on the White House’s South Lawn and paying the “full cost,” which he estimated to be up to $6 million. He also said that Sikorsky “felt a little bit guilty” about the newer helicopters' impact on the White House grounds.
Lockheed Martin, the Bethesda, Maryland-based parent company of Sikorsky, confirmed its support of the helipad, but did not comment specifically on the amount of funding that it would provide.
“Lockheed Martin has a long history of supporting projects in both the Washington, D.C. area and across the country,” Lockheed officials said in a written statement on Monday. “This specific contribution was made to the National Park Service. Our engagement with the federal government is guided by rigorous ethics and compliance standards and conducted in full accordance with all applicable laws and regulations.”
A message left for a spokesperson for Blumenthal, Murphy, Courtney, DeLauro and Larson that asked what additional information or actions they wanted from the White House about the helipad was not immediately returned.
Congress members from Connecticut have criticized Trump’s handling of other building projects at the White House, including the under-construction ballroom. Blumenthal, for instance, sent a letter last month to the Secret Service’s director that outlined his concerns about how the ballroom was being funded.
As for Sikorsky, its role as a military contractor extends well beyond Marine One. Last month, it was awarded a $525 million contract from the U.S. Navy to support the production of CH-53K heavy-lift helicopters. Last September, Sikorsky was awarded an approximately $10.9 billion contract to build up to 99 CH-53K King Stallion helicopters for the Marine Corps over a five-year period.
For many years, Sikorsky has ranked as one of the largest private-sector employers in Connecticut. Its employees account for the vast majority of Lockheed Martin’s more than 7,000 people based in the state.