Trump Administration Files Emergency Appeal for White House Ballroom Construction

President Donald Trump’s administration has submitted an urgent appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, aiming to resume construction on the new ballroom at the White House.

On Friday, Attorney General D. John Sauer represented President Trump by seeking to overturn a 2-1 decision from the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals that had put a stop to the $400 million project. The ruling determined that the president lacks the authority to expand the East Wing of the White House without getting approval from Congress. The ruling was primarily authored by Judges Patricia Millett and Bradley Garcia, who were appointed by former Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden.

Sauer expressed concerns regarding an “unusual and unlawful injunction” that has interrupted the ongoing construction of the Joint Military Complex within the East Wing. This complex is said to include secure ballroom space, crucial for national security. He emphasized that this comprehensive project would not only alleviate security issues but also modernize the East Wing to suit the needs of future presidents.

Sauer cited the “recent increase in assassination attempts” against Trump as a reason for the urgency, asserting that the ballroom would provide a safe environment for important events like state dinners.

Backing Circuit Judge Neomi Rao’s dissenting opinion, Sauer voiced national security concerns, countering the majority view that framed Trump as a “temporary tenant” of the White House.

Sauer stated, “The President of the United States is not a tenant, but rather the sole elected head of the executive branch. Congress has authorized him to renovate and secure the White House and its grounds, just as all previous presidents were able to do.” He argued that this construction project should be handled through presidential discretion rather than through judicial intervention.

He pointed out that the ballroom, which spans 90,000 square feet, is presently 65 percent completed. He cautioned that abandoning the site now would leave a rather unattractive structural shell after the old East Wing was taken down last fall.

No one would prefer a “70-foot-tall unfinished superstructure over a completed project,” he remarked.