A federal appeals court on Friday blocked construction of President Trump’s White House Ballroom.
In a 2-1 vote, a three-judge panel in the DC Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that President Trump lacks the authority to move forward with the construction without approval from Congress.
Judges Patricia Millett (Obama) and Bradley Garcia (Biden) wrote the majority opinion.
“Whether or not a massive ballroom should be constructed is for Congress to decide and is not a matter for Executive self-help,” majority wrote.
“Congress has not ceded unfettered authority to the Executive Branch to dramatically redesign, reshape, and reconstruct the White House — the People’s House — to fit a particular President’s desires,” the judges wrote.
The appeals court stayed its ruling for 14 days to give the Trump Administration time to appeal to the US Supreme Court.
A federal judge earlier this year limited the construction on President Trump’s privately-funded White House ballroom.
Last summer, the Trump Administration announced a White House Ballroom construction project.
“For 150 years, Presidents, Administrations, and White House Staff have longed for a large event space on the White House complex that can hold substantially more guests than currently allowed. President Donald J. Trump has expressed his commitment to solving this problem on behalf of future Administrations and the American people,” the Trump White House said.
“The White House is one of the most beautiful and historic buildings in the world, yet the White House is currently unable to host major functions honoring world leaders and other countries without having to install a large and unsightly tent approximately 100 yards away from the main building entrance. The White House State Ballroom will be a much-needed and exquisite addition of approximately 90,000 total square feet of ornately designed and carefully crafted space, with a seated capacity of 650 people — a significant increase from the 200-person seated capacity in the East Room of the White House,” they said.
In June, the Senate voted on a proposal to block the construction of President Trump’s 90,000 square foot ballroom.
The proposal, which needed 60 votes, failed 52-47.
However, SIX Republican Senators voted with the Democrats to block the construction of the ballroom: Collins, Husted, Moran, Murkowski, Sullivan and Tillis.
The proposal was introduced by Democrat Senator Jeff Merkley during a vote-a-rama.
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