Appeals Court Puts the Ballroom on Ice
A federal appeals court on Friday blocked construction of President Trump’s White House ballroom project, ruling 2-1 that the president does not have authority to move forward without approval from Congress. Judges Patricia Millett, appointed by Obama, and Bradley Garcia, appointed by Biden, wrote the majority opinion for the DC Circuit panel. The majority said, “Whether or not a massive ballroom should be constructed is for Congress to decide and is not a matter for Executive self-help.” In other words, even a privately funded White House project now gets a fresh tour through the marble maze, because Washington never misses a chance to make a construction dispute sound like a civics exam.
The Majority Says Congress Must Decide
The judges wrote that Congress has not given the Executive Branch “unfettered authority” to “dramatically redesign, reshape, and reconstruct the White House,” which they called “the People’s House,” to match any president’s wishes. The ruling was stayed for 14 days, giving the Trump administration time to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. Earlier this year, a federal judge had already limited construction on the privately funded ballroom. So the project is not dead yet, but it is now standing in the usual Washington line, where paperwork ages like cheese and everyone pretends the process is the product.
The White House Argued It Needed the Space
The Trump administration announced the White House Ballroom project last summer, saying presidents, administrations, and White House staff had wanted a larger event space on the complex for 150 years. The White House said major functions honoring world leaders often require a large tent about 100 yards from the main entrance. The planned State Ballroom was described as about 90,000 total square feet, with ornate design, careful craftsmanship, and seating for 650 people. By comparison, the East Room seats about 200. That is a large jump, though in Washington even chairs can become constitutional actors if the right committee squints hard enough.
The Senate Already Took a Swing
In June, the Senate voted on a proposal to block construction of the 90,000-square-foot ballroom. The proposal needed 60 votes and failed 52-47. Six Republican senators joined Democrats in voting to block it: Susan Collins, Jon Husted, Jerry Moran, Lisa Murkowski, Dan Sullivan, and Thom Tillis. The proposal was introduced by Democratic Senator Jeff Merkley during a vote-a-rama. That means Congress already had its shot and did not clear the threshold, but the courts have now stepped in anyway. Washington’s separation of powers is apparently a group project, graded by whoever filed last.
Trump Says He Is Going to the Supreme Court
President Trump responded by saying he will appeal the ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court. He cited Judge Neomi Rao’s dissent, including her statement that the lower court had committed “a blatant abuse of discretion” and that “the balance of equities overwhelmingly favors the government.” Rao wrote that the district court elevated “the aesthetic displeasure of a single passerby” over security interests tied to construction at the president’s home and office. Trump called the ruling “horrendous, politically motivated, and unlawful,” and said the Military and Secret Service view it as a national security threat. He also described the broader project as including bomb shelters, medical facilities, protective partitioning, top secret military facilities, missile-resistant steel, drone-proof ceilings and roofs, military-grade venting, and ballistic, blast-proof glass.
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