Appeals court blocks Trump's $400 million White House ballroom project

A federal appeals court ordered President Donald Trump’s administration to halt construction on a $400 million ballroom at the site of the White House’s demolished East Wing, a significant setback in a case testing presidential authority. In a divided 2-1 ruling, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit upheld a preliminary injunction obtained by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The group sued after the administration tore down the East Wing and began building a 90,000-square-foot (8,360-square-meter) ballroom without seeking authorization from Congress. The appeals court paused enforcement for 14 days to let the administration appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. A district judge said the president lacked required statutory authority. Trump’s team argued courts shouldn’t weigh the privately funded plan and cited national security concerns.