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US appeals court blocks Trump's $400 million White House ballroom project
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia /Crime & Justice

US appeals court blocks Trump's $400 million White House ballroom project

From Asharq Al-Awsat · () English

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Sources not specified In the courts
  • A US federal appeals court blocked President Trump's administration from building a $400 million ballroom at the White House.
  • The court upheld a preliminary injunction, ruling that Congress must authorize such construction.
  • The decision is a setback for Trump's efforts to reshape the White House and surrounding areas.

A U.S. federal appeals court has halted President Donald Trump's administration's controversial $400 million plan to build a ballroom on the White House grounds. The ruling represents a significant setback for the president's ambitious projects to reshape Washington D.C.'s landscape.

Whether or not ⁠a massive ballroom ⁠should be constructed is for Congress to decide and is not a matter for Executive self-help.

— US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia CircuitThe majority opinion explaining the court's reasoning for blocking the White House ballroom construction.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, in a 2-1 decision, upheld a preliminary injunction previously granted to the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The preservation group sued after the administration demolished the East Wing and began constructing the 90,000-square-foot ballroom without seeking congressional authorization.

Congress has not ceded unfettered authority to the Executive Branch to dramatically redesign, reshape, and reconstruct the White House, the People’s House, to fit a particular President’s desires.

— US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia CircuitFurther elaboration on the limits of presidential authority regarding the White House.

"Whether or not a massive ballroom should be constructed is for Congress to decide and is not a matter for Executive self-help," the majority opinion stated. The court emphasized that Congress has not granted the executive branch unlimited authority to redesign the White House, referring to it as "the People's House," according to a president's personal preferences.

They just don't want to go to Congress.

— Thaddeus HeuerA lawyer for the National Trust for Historic Preservation, countering the administration's arguments.

The appeals court has paused its ruling for 14 days, allowing the Trump administration time to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. Earlier, U.S. District Judge Richard Leon had twice blocked above-ground construction, though he permitted underground work. Leon ruled that no federal statute gave the president the authority to build the ballroom without congressional approval. The administration had argued the ballroom was necessary for security and large functions, while Trump himself defended the project's cost and promised it would be "magnificent, safe, and secure."

it is approximately twice the size, and a far higher quality, than the original proposal and promised "it will be magnificent, safe, and secure!"

— Donald TrumpDefending the ballroom project's cost and quality on Truth Social.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Asharq Al-Awsat in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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