US Appeals Court Greenlights Ongoing Construction of Trump’s White House Ballroom

WASHINGTON – A federal appeals court has granted President Donald Trump the green light to proceed with the $400 million ballroom project at the White House. This decision arrived just a day after a lower court judge had imposed a halt on the above-ground construction activities on the former East Wing site.

On Friday evening, a trio of judges from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit temporarily suspended the ruling by U.S. District Judge Richard Leon, which had stopped part of the construction. The appellate court has slated a hearing for June 5 to further deliberate on the case.

Judge Leon, in his Thursday decision, maintained a restriction on the above-ground development of the planned 90,000-square-foot (8,400-square-meter) ballroom addition. However, he permitted the continuation of underground work, including the construction of a bunker and other “national security facilities” at the location.

Trump tore down the East Wing last fall to build the massive ballroom in that space. The National Trust for Historic Preservation later sued to block construction, arguing that Trump had overstepped his authority by moving forward with the project without first getting approval from key federal agencies and Congress.

Leon ruled in favor of the nonprofit group at the end of March, but put his decision on hold for a brief period while allowing the underground work to continue. The administration appealed.

Trump has said the ballroom is a long-overdue addition to the White House complex and argues that he has the right to build it because the cost will be covered by donations from wealthy individuals and corporations, though taxpayer dollars will pay for the security aspects.