US appeals court upholds ruling blocking Trump's White House ballroom project

A US federal appeals court on Friday upheld a lower-court order halting President Donald Trump's plan to build a large ballroom at the White House, ruling 2-1 that the administration lacks authority to redesign or rebuild the executive residence without congressional approval. A three-judge panel of the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit also temporarily paused enforcement of the lower court's order, which had suspended most above-ground construction at the White House, until the new ruling takes effect. The court gave the administration 14 days to appeal to the Supreme Court. Reacting on his Truth Social account, Trump called the ruling a "national embarrassment" and argued it posed "the highest level of threat to national security," citing the project's planned underground fortified military bunker and security facilities. The appeals court said the suspension of construction was not based on the project's substance but on the president's decision to begin work without congressional approval. The court's opinion stressed that the administration does not have the authority to "redesign, alter, and rebuild the White House according to the president's personal preferences." No further details were immediately available on the administration's next steps.