Trump administration asks Supreme Court to let White House ballroom work continue

The Trump administration has asked the US Supreme Court to allow construction to continue on a $400 million White House ballroom after a federal appeals court ruled the project lacked the necessary approval from Congress. The request seeks to keep the appeals court ruling on hold while the administration prepares a full appeal. The case centres on work at the White House complex in Washington, where the East Wing has already been torn down and a large ballroom project has begun.

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In its filing, the Justice Department repeated Donald Trump's argument that the ballroom is a security necessity. Lawyers cited what they described as numerous assassination attempts against Trump and said the project was "vitally required by national security". The US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit had earlier upheld a lower-court order directing the administration to halt above-ground construction.

The appeals court paused its own order for 14 days to give the administration time to seek emergency relief from the Supreme Court. The dispute has become a legal test of how far a president can go in altering the White House without congressional approval. The National Trust for Historic Preservation brought the case last year after the administration demolished the East Wing and began building an 8,360-square-metre ballroom without authorisation from Congress.

In its 2-1 ruling on 7 August, the appeals court said the question of whether such a large ballroom should be built is for Congress to decide, not for executive action alone. The panel also said national security arguments are not an automatic exemption from the law. Trump has publicly defended the project and described it as a "military center" in a post earlier this month.

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He has also said the plan includes bomb shelters, medical facilities, shielding from drones and missiles, and other security features that are all part of one complex unit. In his criticism of the appeals court ruling, he called it horrendous and politically motivated, and said it left him, White House officials and visitors exposed to attack. The administration's latest filing shows it is treating the case as both a legal and security issue.

The case matters because it involves the balance between presidential authority, congressional oversight and the preservation of one of the most closely watched government buildings in the United States. It also comes at a time when Trump is framing the ballroom as part of broader protection measures around the White House. The administration's argument links the project directly to security concerns, while opponents have focused on the lack of legislative approval and the scale of the construction.

What happens next will depend on whether the Supreme Court agrees to leave the appeals court ruling on hold while the full appeal is considered. For now, the order does not permanently bar a ballroom, but it does block above-ground construction unless Congress approves the project. The legal fight is likely to continue over both the scope of executive power and the future of the White House site.

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