Washington– A federal judge on Tuesday The Trump administration ordered To stop building a The $400 million ballroom It demolished the East Wing of the White House to make room for it, prohibiting work without congressional approval.
U.S. District Judge Richard Leon in Washington granted a monument preservation group’s request for a preliminary injunction temporarily halting President Donald Trump’s White House ballroom project. He concluded that the National Trust for Historic Preservation was likely to succeed on the merits of its claims because “no law comes close to giving the President the power he claims to have.”
“The President of the United States is the White House steward for future generations of First Families. However, he is not the owner!” Lyon, who was nominated for the position by Republican President George W. Bush, wrote.
The White House quickly filed a notice of appeal while Trump fumed at the ruling. “We’ve built a lot of things in the White House over the years,” he told reporters in the Oval Office a short time later. “And they didn’t get approval from Congress.”
The ruling was the first major rebuke of Trump’s sweeping efforts to overhaul the White House. But it wasn’t immediately clear what that would mean for a sprawling project in which crews have long since demolished the east wing, radically changing the look and feel of the historic grounds.
The judge’s decision came two days before the National Capital Planning Commission, the agency that approves construction on federal properties in the Washington area, The addition is expected to be approved. The judge’s ruling does not affect Thursday’s schedule, said Steven Studgel, a spokesman for the commission.
“We are pleased with Judge Lyon’s ruling today ordering a halt to any additional construction of the ballroom until the Department complies with the law and receives express permission to proceed,” said Carol Quillen, president and CEO of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which filed the lawsuit that led to Lyon’s ruling.
“This is a win for the American people on a project that will forever impact one of our nation’s most beloved and iconic places,” Quillen said in a statement. The group filed a lawsuit in hopes of obtaining an order to pause the hall project until it undergoes multiple independent reviews and receives congressional approval.
Leon suspended implementation of his order for 14 days, acknowledging that the case “raises new and important issues, and that halting an ongoing construction project may raise logistical issues.” He also acknowledged that the administration would appeal his decision.
The judge ruled that any construction work necessary to ensure the safety and security of the White House is exempt from the scope of the injunction. Leon said he privately reviewed the materials provided to him by the government before concluding that halting construction would not jeopardize national security.
Trump noted that the ruling would allow work to continue on underground bunkers and other security measures around the White House grounds, although their costs would be paid for by taxpayers, not private donors, and by Trump himself, who promised the president would cover the cost of the hall.
The Republican president brought handwritten notes to the Oval Office referring to that part of the ruling, saying: “It’s about us being allowed to keep building.”
Then provide a comprehensive list of what is being done to enhance security during the construction of the hall.
“The roof is drone-proof. We have safe air handling systems. You know, bad things happen in the air if you have bad people,” the president said. “We have biodefense everywhere. We have secure communications and telecommunications everywhere. We have shelters that we are building. We have a hospital and very large medical facilities that we are building.”
He added, “Think about it for the president’s safety,” and said the ruling meant “in this matter, we are fine.”
The White House announced the ballroom project over the summer. By late October, Trump had demolished the east wing of a 90,000-square-foot (8,400 m2) ballroom that he said would seat 999 people.
Trump embarked on the project before seeking input from the National Capital Planning Commission and another oversight body, the Commission of Fine Arts. Trump has staffed both committees with his allies. The trust filed a lawsuit in December.
On February 26, Leon rejected the conservation group’s initial offer to temporarily halt construction of the ballroom. He said the privately funded group based its challenge on a “scattered collection” of legal theories and would have a better chance of success if it amended the lawsuit, which it did.
The administration said that construction of the above-ground hall will begin in April.
“We’re two weeks away,” plaintiffs’ attorney Thaddeus Hoyer said during a March 17 hearing. “The imminent is now imminent.”
During the hearing, Leon appeared skeptical of what he referred to as the government’s “changing theories and changing dynamics” regarding its arguments in the case.
“I don’t think it’s a new theory,” Justice Department lawyer Jacob Roth told the judge.
Lyons expressed frustration with Roth’s attempts to equate the massive auditorium project with relatively modest construction work at the White House under previous administrations.
“This is a distinctive symbol of this nation,” the judge said.
The administration has said other presidents do not need congressional approval for previous White House renovation projects, large and small.
“Many of these projects were highly controversial at the time, but have since become accepted — even beloved — parts of the White House,” the government lawyers wrote.
In his ruling, Leon rejected the administration’s claim that Congress gave the president almost unilateral authority to build anything on federal land in Washington, regardless of the source of the funding.
“This is clearly not how Congress and previous presidents have run the White House for centuries, and this court would not be the first to find that Congress has abdicated its powers in this significant way!” The judge wrote.
Since returning to the White House, Trump has often bragged about leaving a lasting mark on the building and the presidency.
His extensive efforts to renovate the White House have already included building Patio space next to the rose gardenhigh-rise residence Flagpole In the northern and southern meadows, regeneration bathroom Attached to the Lincoln Bedroom, Palm Room and Addition Gold thrives to the Oval Office And the outer column.
The president also wants to build Festive bow Near the Lincoln Memorial, fix many areas of Washington Golf courses And drives a boost to Kennedy Center renovation This is forcing D.C.’s premier performing arts center to close for two years this summer.
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Associated Press writer Darlene Superville contributed to this report.