by Fred Lucas
The Supreme Court on Monday stayed a lower federal court injunction that blocked construction of President Donald Trump’s planned ballroom renovations at the White House.
The massive project of the East Wing ballroom is estimated at $400 million, funded through private donations rather than tax dollars.
The lawsuit returns to lower courts, but the key portions of the project will likely be completed. Lower courts halted the project because it wasn’t approved by Congress.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation brought the lawsuit, arguing Trump lacked authority to unilaterally order the project. The high court held 5-4 that the plaintiffs likely lacked standing in the case. Chief Justice John Roberts sided with the liberal wing.
“Today, we do not pass upon the legality of the government’s East Wing project,” the majority opinion says. “We conclude only that, based on the submissions before us, the government is likely to prevail in showing that the Trust lacks Article III standing to challenge the project in federal court and that the remaining stay factors favor relief.”
The majority opinion added that “freezing construction would risk significant ‘construction-related problems’ ranging from concerns about how to secure the structural integrity of a partially completed superstructure to the possibility of having to delay the installation of infrastructure ‘required to make below-ground facilities operational.'”
Solicitor General John Sauer has argued that blocking the project would be “extraordinary and unlawful,” and that it was “vitally required by national security.”
The Trump administration has argued the president, as head of the executive branch, has the authority to renovate the White House or other federal buildings.
The project is 90,000 square feet and was scheduled to be completed by August 2028.
In reaction to the ruling, Trump said when the construction project is done it “will be something that the entire Country is very proud of.”
“The Project, despite the baseless lawsuit brought by the so-called National Trust for Historic Preservation of the United States, which is not in any way affiliated with the United States Government, is under budget and ahead of schedule. The Ballroom is totally funded by Great Patriots and Corporations and, therefore, is a Gift — At no cost to the American Taxpayer,” he said.
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Fred Lucas is senior investigative reporter for the Daily Signal. He is the author of “The Myth of Voter Suppression: The Left’s Assault on Clean Elections.” Zachery Schmidt is the digital editor of The Star News Network and contributed to this story.
