Appeals court rules Trump can't build White House ballroom without congressional approval
Construction continues on a helipad and the White House Ballroom on the South Lawn of the White House, Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Tierney L. Cross)
WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal appeals court on Friday ordered President Donald Trump's administration to halt construction of its $400 million ballroom at the White House because the project lacks congressional approval.
Trump doesn’t have the unilateral authority to build a 90,000-square-foot (8,400-square-meter) ballroom where the White House’s East Wing stood before he ordered its demolition last fall, according to the decision by a three-judge panel from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.