Appeals court orders pause on White House ballroom project
A federal appeals court said the Trump administration cannot keep building the White House ballroom without Congress’s approval.
A federal appeals court on Friday ordered a stop to construction of President Donald Trump’s planned White House ballroom, saying the work cannot go ahead without congressional approval. The ruling affects the project on the site of the former East Wing in Washington.
The US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit sided with a lower court and with preservation advocates who argued the administration needed explicit permission before carrying out such a major change to the White House complex. The panel had previously let construction continue while it reviewed the dispute.
The project has been described by news outlets as a $400 million undertaking. The court said a president cannot fundamentally alter the White House on his own authority.
The decision sets up further review, including the possibility of a Supreme Court challenge, as the administration faces a new legal barrier to the ballroom plan.
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