US appeals court orders halt to Trump ballroom construction without congressional approval

The US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit, which had allowed construction to continue while it considered the case, agreed with a lower court that such a massive White House overhaul required the explicit consent of Congress.

euronews.com ·4h ago

A US federal appeals court has ordered the Trump administration to halt construction on a $400 million ballroom at the White House. The court ruled that the project requires explicit congressional approval, upholding a preliminary injunction won by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

The court's decision was a 2-1 majority verdict, with the panel stating that Congress has not given the Executive Branch unlimited authority to redesign and reconstruct the White House. According to MyJoyOnline Ghana, the panel said that each President is a temporary tenant, not the owner, of the White House and its Executive Residence.

The construction project had been blocked previously by a federal judge, who twice stopped above-ground construction. The administration had appealed to the court after these blocks. The court's decision may be appealed to the Supreme Court, with President Trump vowing to appeal what he called an unjust decision, according to DW News.

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