This is a huge mess and MAGA can’t help but laugh about it.
The cost of Barack Obama’s presidential center in Chicago has exploded to a staggering $850 million, nearly TRIPLE its original $300 million estimate. What was once pitched as a historic legacy project for the former president has now turned into a financial nightmare, raising red flags for Illinois taxpayers.
According to a bombshell Chicago Tribune report, the Obama Foundation has already burned through more than $615 million on the sprawling complex, located in Jackson Park on Chicago’s South Side. The center, which was supposed to open this year, has been delayed yet again and is now expected to open sometime this spring.
Costs Spiraling Out of Control
This massive project has been plagued by runaway costs from the very beginning.
- 2017: Initial budget unveiled at $500 million.
- 2021: Construction costs alone shot up to $700 million, with total costs nearing $830 million.
- 2025: Final estimate now sits at $850 million — and taxpayers could be left holding the bag.
This project has become a textbook case of big government waste and Democrat mismanagement.
Obama Foundation Sits on $1 Billion While Taxpayers Get Stuck
The Obama Foundation now boasts over $1 BILLION in net assets, thanks to a $195 million fundraising haul last year from nearly 92,000 donors.
When the center was approved, the foundation promised to create a $470 million reserve fund to shield taxpayers from financial risk. But newly revealed tax documents paint a very different picture:
- Only $1 million has been deposited into this fund.
- No recent contributions have been made.
- Illinois families could face the fallout if costs spiral even higher.
This has left many Illinois residents and Republican leaders furious — and for good reason.
Republicans Sound the Alarm
Illinois GOP Chair Kathy Salvi blasted the project as an “abomination” and a prime example of Democrat corruption and waste.
“No one should be shocked that the Obama Center may end up sticking Illinois taxpayers with the bill — this is standard operating procedure for Illinois Democrats,” Salvi told Fox News Digital. “In this state, when Democrats aren’t being hauled off to prison for corruption, they’re busy raiding the taxpayers’ wallets and rewarding their political allies with cushy deals.”
Chicago’s Bigger Crisis
The controversy comes at a time when Chicago is struggling with skyrocketing crime, failing schools, and thousands of families fleeing the city for safer communities.
Instead of fixing these problems, Democrats are funneling money into what critics call Obama’s vanity project, while Illinois taxpayers are left wondering if they will be forced to foot the bill for this billion-dollar disaster.
Bottom Line
Barack Obama’s dream of building a shining legacy center is quickly becoming a $850 million boondoggle.
- Taxpayers are at risk.
- Costs keep climbing.
- Promises are being broken.
This fiasco serves as a painful reminder of what happens when Democrats are given free rein over taxpayer dollars. For hardworking Illinois families, Obama’s dream may turn into their financial nightmare.
