A federal appeals court has blocked construction on a massive ballroom planned for the White House's demolished East Wing, ruling that the President cannot fundamentally reshape the building without Congressional approval.
A U.S. federal appeals court has ordered the Trump administration to cease construction on a $400 million ballroom project at the White House, determining that the President lacks unilateral authority to undertake such a major renovation. The Washington-based Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit issued a 2-1 decision upholding a preliminary injunction filed by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which challenged the demolition of the East Wing and subsequent construction of a 90,000-square-foot ballroom without Congressional authorization.
The court's majority stated that "each President is a temporary tenant, not the owner, of the White House" and cannot reshape it according to personal preferences. The two Democratic-appointed judges emphasized that such decisions belong to Congress, not the Executive Branch acting unilaterally. The ruling does not permanently ban ballroom construction but halts above-ground work during the ongoing lawsuit until proper Congressional approval is obtained.
The Trump administration had defended the project on national security grounds, arguing that the former East Wing configuration left the President vulnerable to attacks. Justice Department attorneys claimed the privately funded initiative should not be subject to court review. However, the appeals court rejected this reasoning, stating that national security concerns are "not an automatic get-out-of-law-free card" that exempts the administration from legal requirements.
In dissent, Circuit Judge Neomi Rao, appointed by Trump during his first term, argued that the courts were overstepping their authority by blocking the project. The administration has a 14-day window to appeal the decision to the U.S. Supreme Court. The ballroom's cost has reportedly doubled from initial estimates, with the administration attributing this to increased size and quality specifications.
