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construction underway President Donald Trump’s $400 million ballroom That’s expected to continue after a federal judge said he was leaning toward rejecting a conservationist group’s request to temporarily halt work on the controversial project.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation, a privately funded group, asked the U.S. District Court last week To block Trump’s gold-plated ballroom project Until it went through multiple independent reviews and received approval from Congress.
The President has already circumvented the federal government’s normal construction practices and historical reviews with the East Wing demolition.
“No president is legally allowed to tear down parts of the white house Without any review – not by President Trump, not by President Biden, not by anyone else,” the lawsuit says.
But at a hearing Tuesday, Judge Richard J. Lyons said the organization had failed to show that “irreparable harm” would be caused if the project proceeded and he gave the White House two weeks to submit plans to the National Capital Planning Commission and the Commission of Fine Arts.
Trump praised the judge during a White House Hanukkah event Tuesday evening and thanked Lyons for giving him “the courage to make the right decision.”
The President increased the price of the project from $300 million to an estimated $400 million, although he said he “must do it at a lower price.”
Trump said of the lawsuit, “We got sued. We’re donating a $400 million ballroom and we got sued for not building it.” “We’re donating a building that cost about $400 million. I think I’d do it for less, but it’s 400…I should do it for less. I’d do it for less, but just in case, I say 400 otherwise, if I go over $3, the press will say it cost more.”
National Trust President and CEO Carol Quillen said it is “fully committed to upholding the interests of the American people and advocating for compliance with the law, including review by the National Capital Planning Commission and the opportunity for the public to provide comment and shape the project.”
Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson argued at the hearing that the Trust had no standing to sue and that underground construction should continue for national security reasons that were not mentioned in open court.
But the judge warned the administration not to take decisions on underground works such as the routing of pipelines and gas lines, which would determine the scope of future above-ground ballroom construction. If that happens, Lyon warned, “the court will resolve it, I assure you of that.”
Tad Heuer, an attorney representing the trust, said that the day construction is allowed to proceed in the absence of an independent review, the government will have to “wait and find out” what the ballroom will look like.
“This is not about the need for a ballroom. This is about the need to follow the law,” Heuer said.
Demolition of the White House’s historic East Wing began in October to make way for a 90,000-square-foot ballroom.
Trump said the project would be funded by private donors. Contributors include tech giants Amazon, Apple, Google and Microsoft, crypto companies Coinbase and Ripple, the Winklevoss twins and the Commerce Secretary’s family. Howard LutnickAccording to a list provided by the White House.
Democrats have introduced legislation to curb the plans.
In November, Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Representative Robert Garcia of California introduced the Stop Ballroom Bribery Act, which would require greater transparency around contributions, such as banning donations from individuals With conflict of interest. This law will also prevent the President and Vice President from making donations.
The Associated Press contributed reporting.
