Appeals Court Blocks Trump’s $400 Million White House Ballroom, Rejecting Security Claim
Updated
Updated · abcnews.com · Aug 8
Appeals Court Blocks Trump’s $400 Million White House Ballroom, Rejecting Security Claim
3 articles · Updated · abcnews.com · Aug 8
Summary
A federal appeals court barred above-ground work on Trump’s proposed White House ballroom, saying the project cannot proceed without congressional approval and giving the administration two weeks before the order takes effect.
Judges Patricia Millett and Bradley Garcia rejected Trump’s national security rationale as not an “automatic get-out-of-the-law-free card,” ruling that a president cannot unilaterally make major changes to the White House.
Trump vowed an immediate Supreme Court appeal and argued the 90,000-square-foot building would house bomb shelters, missile-resistant materials, drone-proof roofing and top-secret military facilities.
Underground security-related construction can still continue under the ruling, preserving work tied to presidential protection even as the main $400 million ballroom remains stalled in court.