WASHINGTON — A U.S. federal appeals court on Friday ordered the Trump administration to halt construction of a $400 million ballroom at the White House, ruling that President Donald Trump lacks authority to undertake the project without congressional approval.
The 2-1 decision by a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit upheld a preliminary injunction sought by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which sued after the administration demolished the White House's East Wing and began work on a planned 90,000-square-foot (8,360-square-meter) ballroom.
The court said the president could not unilaterally make such a major alteration to federal property. It rejected the administration's argument that existing congressional authorizations for White House improvements gave Trump sufficient authority to proceed.
“Whether or not a massive ballroom should be constructed is for Congress to decide and is not a matter for Executive self-help,” the court said in its ruling.
The court stressed that its decision did not determine whether the ballroom should ultimately be built, but rather whether the administration could proceed without congressional authorization while the legal dispute continued.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation had argued that the project bypassed requirements intended to protect the White House and other historic federal property. The group welcomed the ruling, saying the decision affirmed the need for congressional and public oversight of major changes to the White House complex.
The administration has maintained that the project is privately financed and that the president has broad authority over the White House grounds. It has also argued that parts of the construction are tied to national security, including underground facilities.
Earlier in the case, U.S. District Judge Richard Leon had blocked above-ground construction while allowing certain underground work connected to security to continue. An appeals court subsequently allowed construction to proceed temporarily while it considered the administration's challenge.
Friday's ruling reinstates the restrictions on the ballroom construction. The appeals court, however, delayed enforcement of its decision for two weeks to give the administration time to seek review by the U.S. Supreme Court.
Trump has criticized the ruling and said he plans to appeal to the Supreme Court, arguing that the ballroom is needed for security and other White House functions.
The case now remains subject to further judicial review, with the administration able to seek Supreme Court intervention during the two-week period.
