A federal appeals court ruled 2-1 to halt above-ground construction of President Donald Trump's $400 million, 90,000-square-foot White House ballroom, declaring that the project requires congressional approval. The decision upholds an injunction won by the National Trust for Historic Preservation following the unilateral demolition of the historic East Wing. Trump has strongly criticized the ruling as a national security threat and vowed an immediate appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Appeals court construction halt
- ▪The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled 2-1 on August 7, 2026, to uphold an injunction halting above-ground construction of President Donald Trump's $400 million White House ballroom
- ▪Appellate Judges Patricia Millett and Bradley Garcia formed the majority in the August 7, 2026, ruling, while Judge Neomi Rao dissented
- ▪The appeals court stayed the implementation of its August 7, 2026, ruling for 14 days to allow the Trump administration to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court
Congressional approval requirement
- ▪The Trump administration requested $1 billion in federal funds for the ballroom project, which Congress refused in May 2026
- ▪In June 2026, congressional Democrats warned that the Trump administration had redirected more than $300 million from the Secret Service budget to cover security upgrades for the ballroom
- ▪The appeals court majority ruled that Congress holds control over federal property and its maintenance, meaning the White House ballroom project requires explicit congressional approval
Presidential authority limits
- ▪The appeals court majority stated that the president is a temporary tenant of the White House and lacks constitutionally assigned authority to unilaterally reshape the property
- ▪Dissenting Judge Neomi Rao argued that the National Trust for Historic Preservation lacked standing and that the district court's injunction was a blatant abuse of discretion
White House East Wing demolition
- ▪The planned White House ballroom is designed to be approximately 90,000 square feet, which would dwarf the main structure of the White House and accommodate up to 999 people
- ▪The Trump administration demolished the historic, 1902 East Wing of the White House in October 2025 to clear space for the planned 90,000-square-foot ballroom
Trump Supreme Court appeal
- ▪President Donald Trump argued that halting the ballroom project threatens national security by disrupting the construction of an underground bunker, military complex, and emergency hospital
- ▪President Donald Trump announced on Truth Social that his administration would immediately appeal the appeals court's ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court
Historic preservation lawsuit
- ▪The National Trust for Historic Preservation filed a lawsuit in December 2025, arguing that President Donald Trump exceeded his authority by unilaterally destroying the East Wing
- ▪U.S. District Judge Richard Leon issued an initial injunction on March 31, 2026, which he later amended to halt above-ground construction while allowing underground national security work to proceed
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