Court Blocks Trump's $400 Million Ballroom Construction

A U.S. federal appeals court has ordered President Donald Trump's administration to halt construction of a $400 million ballroom on the White House grounds. The court concluded that a project of this scale cannot proceed without congressional approval.

The decision was made on August 7 by a panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit by a vote of two to one. The judges upheld a preliminary injunction previously sought by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The organization filed a lawsuit after the demolition of the White House East Wing and the start of new building construction without congressional consent.

The project envisions the construction of a ballroom approximately 90,000 square feet, or about 8,400 square meters. Trump claimed the new hall was necessary for the White House to host large state receptions and international events, and funding for the construction was primarily planned through private donations.

The administration had attempted to prove in court that the president has sufficient authority to reconstruct the White House complex without special permission from Congress. However, the majority of judges disagreed. They noted that the authority to manage federal property belongs to Congress and that the executive branch did not receive the right to independently carry out such a large-scale reconstruction.

Earlier, District Judge Richard Leon had already halted aboveground work on the project. At the same time, he permitted underground work related to security structures to continue. In the spring, the appeals court temporarily allowed work to resume while the dispute was being considered, but now the prohibition is back in force.

Enforcement of the new ruling has been delayed for 14 days. During this time, the Trump administration can appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court and attempt to obtain permission to continue construction.

The dispute itself concerns not the advisability of adding a ballroom but the powers of the president. The appeals court underscored that the question of whether to build such a facility on the White House grounds should be decided by Congress.

Based on materials from: Reuters