US court orders Trump to halt White House dining hall construction

A U.S. federal appeals court has ordered the Trump administration to halt construction on a new state dining hall at the White House. The court's decision, made on Friday, intervenes in a project initiated by President Donald Trump to demolish the existing East Wing and replace it with an 8,400-square-foot hall at a cost of $400 million.

The appeals court stated that presidents are temporary residents of the White House, not owners, and therefore significant renovations must be approved by Congress. This ruling challenges the administration's assertion that private funds are being used, negating the need for congressional consent. Trump has 14 days to appeal the decision to the Supreme Court, and he has already signaled his intention to do so. The court has temporarily suspended its ruling pending the appeal period.

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each president is only a temporary resident in the White House, not the owner, and therefore major renovations must be approved by Congress.

The decision was split 2-1, with the dissenting judge appointed by Trump. The Trump administration argued the new hall is necessary for large events and includes essential "military" components like bomb shelters. They also claimed that using private funds made congressional approval unnecessary. Trump himself called the court's decision "political and terrible."

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political and terrible