Judge Orders White House Ballroom Construction to Halt Until Congress Acts

A federal judge on Tuesday ordered a halt to construction of President Donald Trump’s White House ballroom, ruling that it “must stop until Congress authorizes its completion,” according to NPR and CBS News. U.S. District Judge Richard Leon found that the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which sued over the project, is likely to succeed on the merits and granted a preliminary injunction, NPR reported. The ruling takes effect in 14 days, and the administration quickly told the court it intends to appeal, CBS News reported.

Leon wrote that “no statute” the government cited “comes close to giving the President the authority he claims to have,” CBS News reported. He ruled that three federal laws give Congress, not the White House, authority over funding and alterations to federal property. “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!” he wrote. “Unfortunately for Defendants, unless and until Congress blesses this project through statutory authorization, construction has to stop! But here is the good news. It is not too late for Congress to authorize the continued construction of the ballroom project.”

Leon said he will allow work to continue for the “safety and security of the White House,” which NPR described as a clear reference to a secure bunker under the building. He built the 14-day delay because he expects an immediate appeal, NPR reported. At a hearing earlier this month he had called the administration’s argument that the ballroom was an allowable “alteration” to the White House a “brazen interpretation of the laws of vocabulary,” CBS News said.

The Trust sued in December, alleging the administration failed to follow federal guidelines before demolishing the East Wing and breaking ground, and questioned the project’s funding, which is largely private donations, CBS News reported. In February, Leon let construction continue temporarily because the suit as framed did not show that Trump lacked the authority to renovate with private funds, both outlets reported; NPR said he invited the group to amend its complaint. Estimates of the cost differ: CBS News put the project at $400 million, a figure it said Trump has cited, while NPR said his own estimates are at least $300 million. CBS News described the ballroom as 90,000 square feet, and NPR said it is designed to seat 1,000 guests.

The administration has defended the project as a useful addition and part of a long line of White House alterations, CBS News reported. Trump responded on social media that the ballroom and the Kennedy Center are “under budget, ahead of schedule” and are being sued by a group “that was cut off by Government years ago,” NPR reported. CBS News reported that a Commission of Fine Arts panel filled with Trump allies voted unanimously last month to approve the ballroom; NPR added that staff said the more than 2,000 public comments were 99% negative. The National Park Service has said construction could finish by mid-2028, per CBS News.

The National Capital Planning Commission is scheduled to vote on the project Thursday, NPR reported. Congressional Democrats and preservation groups have argued the changes were made with too little public input, CBS News said.