A federal judge told Donald Trump’s administration this week that if he wants to build a $400 million White House ballroom, he’ll need Congress to give him the greenlight.
But Trump doesn’t want to do that, and members of Congress, including his Republican allies, don’t appear interested.
“In the Ballroom case, the Judge said we have to get Congressional approval. He is WRONG!” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform Tuesday. “Congressional approval has never been given on anything, in these circumstances, big or small, having to do with construction at the White House.”
The judge’s order arrived before Thursday’s meeting of the National Capital Planning Commission, the agency tasked with approving construction on federal property in the nation’s capital. The panel, which received a massive outpouring of negative public comments on the project, is expected to rubber-stamp Trump’s plans for a 90,000-square-foot structure that would dramatically transform the landmark around the president’s ambitions.
But congressional approval doesn’t seem to be in the cards. House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune have not publicly stated whether lawmakers will bring up legislation, and neither have any leaders of relevant congressional committees that would have to wrangle with the issue if it landed on their plates.
Trump, who has already demolished the East Wing of the White House to make room for his ballroom, has claimed that the project is being financed with private dollars, including multi-national tech giants and defense contractors. But the president would still need congressional authorization, even if lawmakers aren’t appropriating any public dollars for it, according to District Judge Richard Leon.
Rep. Rose DeLauro, the top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, said if Congress is asked to authorize the president’s plans, “Republican leadership will decide if they want to spend time approving President Trump’s ballroom for billionaire mega-donors.”
“The contrast couldn’t be more clear,” she said in a statement after the ruling. “Republicans are concerned with giving the billionaire president a space for his billionaire donors to clink Champagne glasses and nibble hors d’oeuvres, while ordinary Americans continue to be crushed under the weight of higher prices for gas, groceries, rent, health insurance, and everyday necessities.”
Spokespeople for Democratic leadership on House and Senate committees responsible for projects on land operated by the National Park Service directed The Independent’s questions to their Republican counterparts, who would be tasked with deciding whether to bring up the plans.
And several Republican lawmakers declined to comment to The Washington Post on the issue, refusing to engage with what they see as hypothetical legislation tied to a controversial topic.
“I think it’s how Trump is doing it that makes it toxic,” a senior House GOP aide told the newspaper.
Even Republican Rep. Andy Ogles — a staunch Trump ally who has tried to impeach federal judges who ruled against Trump, proposed putting Trump’s face on Mount Rushmore, and wants to amend the Constitution to let president to serve a third term in office — told Politico that he wasn’t aware of any legislation in process to authorize the ballroom.
In his colorful, exclamation-point filled order, Judge Leon said the president is the “steward” of the White House but “he is not, however, the owner!”
“Congress is the collective voice of the American people in our system of government … and the Constitution itself vests authority over federal property, including the White House, in Congress!” wrote Leon, an appointee of Republican president George W. Bush.
“After all, the White House does not belong to any one man — not even a president!” he added.
“Unless and until Congress blesses this project through statutory authorization, construction has to stop!” according to Leon.
“It is not too late for Congress to authorize the continued construction of the ballroom project,” wrote Leon, noting that Trump can, at any time, request congressional authorization for the project and build it with private funds, as Trump claims.
“Indeed, Congress may even choose to appropriate funds for the ballroom, or at least decide that some other funding scheme is acceptable,” Leon said. “Either way, Congress will thereby retain its authority over the nation’s property and its oversight over the government’s spending.”
“Basically he’s saying, I need congressional approval. And he’s so wrong,” the president said during a press event after the ruling. “This is being financed privately. It’s a donation that’s being given by companies, very rich companies, very rich people, so that for 150 years, they’ve wanted a ballroom here, we’re going to have the finest ballroom, I believe, anywhere in the world.”
In a statement, White House spokesperson Davis Ingle said the president “clearly has the legal authority to modernize, renovate, and beautify the White House – just like all of his predecessors did.”
The administration swiftly appealed Leon’s ruling.
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