WASHINGTON (Gray DC) – Friday, the U.S. Supreme Court says construction on President Donald Trump’s White House ballroom project can continue for now.
The temporary order came from Chief Justice John Roberts and allows work to continue while the high court considers the Trump administration’s emergency appeal.
The ballroom project is being built where the East Wing of the White House once stood and now has a price tag of about $400 million.
Friday’s order pauses a lower court ruling which found work must stop because President Trump didn’t get Congressional approval.
The administration argues the president has total authority to renovate the White House and other federal buildings as he sees fit. The president has also insisted the ballroom project is necessary for national security concerns.
The Trump administration says 65% of the work on the 90,000-square-foot project is already done.
Lawyers for the preservation group suing the administration say the White House is trying to “outrun the courts” by accelerating construction of the ballroom.
Friday afternoon, Trump posted on Truth Social saying he was grateful for the decision and once again calling the ballroom “vital for national security.”
He wrote: “It is something that presidents have wanted for 150 years, and that the military has been seeking for the last 100 years. Their wish will soon be fulfilled! Construction is under budget and ahead of schedule.”
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