Government: Trump needs parliament's approval for ballroom

Washington. A US appeals court has ordered a halt to construction work on a ballroom for the White House desired by President Donald Trump. The president must also obtain congressional approval for the project, the court ruled on Friday, siding with preservationists who had sued against the construction. "Whether or not a huge ballroom should be built is a decision for Congress and not a matter that the executive can regulate on its own," the court said.

However, it suspended its judgment for two weeks so that the government can appeal to the Supreme Court.

The appeals court upheld, with two to one votes, the decision of District Judge Richard Leon, who had ordered a halt to all above-ground construction work but allowed underground work for a bunker and other facilities. Trump had demolished the east wing of the White House for the construction. Initially, he announced that he would finance the ballroom from his own pocket and with the help of friendly donors.

Meanwhile, the costs for the 8,400 square meter hall, which is supposed to accommodate almost 1000 people, have risen sharply. Republicans in the Senate tried to provide one billion US dollars (around 866 million euros) for security measures and military modernizations at the White House as part of the project. Government lawyers argued in court that the largest renovation of the White House in more than 70 years served to protect the president, his family, and his employees from drones, ballistic missiles, and biological hazards. "The entire project arises from this," they wrote.

The preservationists, however, stated that the fact that the White House did not have a ballroom was not a security emergency.