The Trump administration has asked the Supreme Court to permit construction of a $400 million ballroom at the White House to proceed without congressional approval. This emergency application follows a ruling by an appeals court that ordered construction to halt until Congress grants permission, a decision that upheld a previous ruling.
The administration's legal team is seeking to continue work on the project while it appeals the stop-work order, which Solicitor General D. John Sauer described as "dangerous." The appeals court decision is set to take effect on August 21, at which point construction must cease unless the Supreme Court intervenes.
According to Sauer, the ballroom project is approximately 65% complete. He argued that enforcing the stop-work order would be an inequitable and potentially impossible situation, amounting to "construction-by-injunction." The administration contends that requiring the president to seek congressional approval for such a project would grant the legislature undue leverage and could compromise national security, which they argue necessitates a secure space for events and military facilities.
The legal battle over the ballroom project began in October when the White House's East Wing was demolished to start construction. The National Trust for Historic Preservation filed a lawsuit, asserting that the project was illegal because it commenced without the required reviews, including public comment and approval from bodies like the National Capital Planning Commission.
In response to the administration's latest filing, the National Trust criticized the administration for "refusing to listen" to court rulings and for