National Trust argues no ‘national security emergency’ exists for resuming work on White House ballroom

The preservationists challenging President Trump’s White House ballroom project in the courts pushed back Wednesday on the government’s claim that halting construction would pose threats to national security.

In a Wednesday court filing, the National Trust for Historic Preservation said that a judge’s order blocking further progress on the $400 million ballroom without Congress’s approval “plainly does not” present a national security emergency.

“The District Court’s injunction does not prevent Defendants from working on the underground bunker their motion exhaustively describes; indeed, the Trust has never objected to that,” wrote lawyers for the preservationists. “The Court’s injunction simply prevents Defendants from constructing the ballroom without Congress’s specific and express approval. And as is obvious, the absence of a massive ballroom on White House grounds has not stopped this (or any other) President from residing at the White House or hosting events there.

“Temporarily halting the ballroom project until it complies with the law will not irreparably harm Defendants or the nation.”

The Trump administration is asking a federal appeals court to block U.S. District Judge Richard Leon’s ruling that halted construction except where “necessary to ensure the safety and security of the White House” while its appeal advances.

Justice Department lawyers argued earlier this week that leaving the ballroom unfinished would “imperil” Trump and others who live and work in the White House because the East Wing’s “entire design cohesively advances critical national security objectives.”

The 90,000-square-foot structure will house bomb shelters, a medical facility and military installations, the lawyers said, and the ballroom will be made with missile-resistant steel columns, drone-proof roofing materials and bullet, ballistic and blast-proof glass.

The government stressed that construction must not be left unfinished to protect against attacks and prevent exposure to the elements. It’s slated for completion by 2028 and is primarily being funded by private donors, according to the president.

But the preservationists contend that unauthorized construction on historic White House grounds significantly harms both the National Trust and the public.

“The District Court got it right: ‘[T]he White House does not belong to any one man — not even a president,'” the National Trust’s lawyers wrote, quoting Leon’s ruling. “If the President wants a ballroom, he must obtain specific and express authorization from Congress — ‘the collective voice of the American people in our system of government,’ and the steward of the nation’s monuments and federal lands.

“While Defendants are free to advance their idiosyncratic and limitless view of executive authority on appeal, nothing in their stay motion shows they will be harmed — let alone irreparably — while that process plays out.”

Leon’s ruling is temporarily paused while the appeals court considers the government’s request. The Trump administration has asked for a ruling by Friday, and if that ruling is adverse, for a two-week extension of Leon’s pause so that the case may be brought to the Supreme Court.