Appeals Court Says Trump Cannot Build White House Ballroom Without Congress’ Approval

A federal appeals court ruled Friday that President Donald Trump cannot move ahead with the proposed White House ballroom without authorization from Congress, ordering the administration to halt above-ground construction while the case continues. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, however, stayed its mandate for 14 days, giving the administration time to seek further review, including a possible appeal to the Supreme Court.

The 2-1 ruling, reported by The Associated Press and Axios, is a significant setback for one of Trump’s most visible White House building projects. Judges Patricia Millett and Brad Garcia formed the majority, while Judge Neomi Rao dissented. The decision leaves in place, for now, a March 31 preliminary injunction from Senior U.S. District Judge Richard J. Leon, who had barred above-ground ballroom construction unless Congress authorizes it.

The project, announced by the White House on July 31, 2025, calls for a roughly 90,000-square-foot ballroom on the White House grounds at a reported cost of about $400 million. The East Wing was demolished in October 2025 to make way for the project, and some site work has already occurred, raising the stakes of the legal fight beyond a dispute over a purely proposed building.

At the center of the case is a basic question about presidential power and congressional control over federal property in Washington. The National Trust for Historic Preservation sued in December 2025, arguing that a federal law, 40 U.S.C. § 8106, requires express authorization from Congress before a building or structure may be erected on federal reservations, parks or public grounds in the capital. The administration argued that other authorities, including 3 U.S.C. § 105(d), gave the president enough power to make “improvements” to the Executive Residence without returning to Congress for a separate approval.

The appeals court rejected that reading. “Whether or not a massive ballroom should be constructed is for Congress to decide and is not a matter for Executive self-help,” the majority said, according to AP and Axios reports on the ruling. In his March opinion, Leon had written that “no statute comes close to giving the President the authority he claims to have” and said construction must stop “unless and until Congress blesses this project through statutory authorization.”

The ruling does not permanently end the project. It blocks the administration from moving forward without congressional approval while the litigation proceeds, and the 14-day stay gives Trump’s team a short window to ask the full D.C. Circuit or the Supreme Court to step in. Earlier appellate orders had allowed some below-grade work to continue while safety and security issues were considered, but the courts have consistently focused on whether above-ground construction of the ballroom can proceed without Congress.