Appeals court orders halt to Trump White House ballroom construction
A federal appeals court has ordered the Trump administration to halt construction of a $400 million White House ballroom, citing a lack of Congressional approval. The administration plans to appeal the decision to the Supreme Court.
Why it matters
The ruling highlights ongoing legal tensions regarding executive authority and the separation of powers in U.S. infrastructure projects.
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WASHINGTON (AP) — A divided federal appeals court ruled Friday that President Donald Trump’s administration must stop construction of the $400 million White House ballroom because Congress has not approved the project, a decision he blasted as “unjust” while vowing to appeal it to the nation’s highest court.
Trump doesn’t have the unilateral authority to build a 90,000-square-foot (8,400-square-meter) ballroom where the White House’s East Wing stood before he ordered its demolition last fall, according to the decision by a three-judge panel from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.
The Republican president said on social media that the administration will immediately appeal what he called an “unjust decision” to the U.S. Supreme Court.
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