A US federal judge on Tuesday, March 31, prohibited Donald Trump’s government from moving forward with the construction of a ballroom in the former East Wing of the White House, until it received approval from Congress.
District Judge Richard Leon in Washington granted a heritage advocacy group’s request to temporarily suspend Trump’s $400 million ballroom project at the presidential residence in Washington, DC.
Appointed to the position by former Republican President George W. Bush, Leon concluded that the National Trust for Historic Preservation will likely succeed in its claims, as “no law comes close to giving the President the authority he claims to have.”
“The President of the United States is the steward of the White House for future generations of ‘first families’. He is not, however, the owner!” the judge wrote.
Leon suspended the execution of his order for 14 days, recognizing that the government will probably appeal and that the case “raises new and important questions”, and that stopping ongoing work “may generate logistical problems”.
The judge stated that he analyzed the material that the government presented to him privately before concluding that halting construction would not put national security at risk.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the decision.
Trump, in a social media post, criticized the heritage defense fund for suing him over a project that he argues is being built at no cost to taxpayers.
The White House said construction of the 8,400-square-foot ballroom would be funded by private donations, including from Trump himself.
The lawsuit filed by heritage advocates seeks a court order suspending the ballroom project until it undergoes multiple independent reviews and receives congressional approval.
The White House announced the ballroom project over the summer, and in late October, Trump demolished the East Wing of the White House to make way for a ballroom that would seat 999 people.
The President moved forward with the project before seeking the opinion of two responsible federal bodies – the National Capital Planning Commission and the Fine Arts Commission.
The administration said construction on the ballroom would begin in April.
During the hearing, Leon expressed skepticism toward what he called the “shifting theories and dynamics” presented by the government in its arguments in the case.
Leon expressed frustration with Justice Department lawyer Jacob Roth’s attempts to equate the massive ballroom project with relatively modest work done at the White House by previous administrations.
“This is an iconic symbol of this nation,” said the judge.
The administration argued that other presidents have not required congressional approval for White House reform projects, large or small.
“Many of these projects were highly controversial in their time, but have since become accepted — and even beloved — parts of the White House,” the administration’s lawyers wrote.
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