Appeals court blocks Trump's White House ballroom, says Congress must approve

Court ruling

On Friday, August 7, 2026, a three-judge panel of the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit ruled 2-1 that the Trump administration must halt construction of a planned White House ballroom until Congress expressly authorizes the project. Judges Patricia A. Millett and Bradley N. Garcia, appointed by Obama and Biden respectively, formed the majority. Judge Neomi Rao, a Trump appointee, dissented. The ruling confirms a preliminary injunction issued by a federal judge in April 2026. The court stayed its decision for 14 days to allow the administration to appeal to the Supreme Court. Underground construction work may continue under the ruling, as may elements below ground level.

The majority wrote that the president occupies the White House only temporarily.

The president is a temporary tenant, not the owner, of the White House and its executive residence.

The project

The ballroom, planned for the site of the former East Wing, covers 8,360 square meters and is designed to host up to 1,000 people for state dinners and receptions honoring foreign dignitaries. Construction began in fall 2025, and in October 2025 the administration demolished the East Wing with bulldozers to make way for the new structure. Trump has described the ballroom as a service to national security, saying it would include a drone platform. The project has been one of his signature initiatives of his second term, discussed at campaign events, in interviews, and even at meetings with foreign leaders, where he would find ways to return to the topic: the size, the ceiling height, the marble, the capacity for thousands of guests.

Trump posted on Truth Social about the project's evolution.

It will be about twice as large and of much higher quality than the original proposal. It will be magnificent, safe and protected!

Cost and funding disputes

The project's budget has grown substantially over the months. According to Il Sole 24 ORE, the estimated cost rose from 200 million to 400 million dollars. A separate contractor estimate published in June by the Washington Post, cited by Europa Press, put the provisional budget at approximately 600 million dollars (about 519 million euros). Trump has insisted the project will not cost taxpayers a cent and will be financed by private donors, including Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos. However, the Washington Post document indicated that half the budget could come from taxes.

Legal battle

The National Trust for Historic Preservation, a nonprofit organization chartered by Congress for historic preservation, sued to stop the project after the administration demolished the East Wing and began construction without seeking congressional authorization. In late March 2026, district judge Richard Leon ruled in a first-instance decision that no federal law gives the president authority to build the ballroom without Congress. An appeals court had temporarily allowed Trump to proceed with the project while the justice system reviewed the case. Friday's decision reverses that interim permission and clarifies that any project of this nature requires congressional approval. The court stated the ruling has nothing to do with the validity of the project itself, but rather with the president having started work without legislative sign-off.

Congress has not granted the executive branch unlimited authority to redesign, remodel and radically rebuild the White House, the People's House, to suit the desires of a particular President.

The White House and the Department of Justice have not issued statements following the ruling. The administration now faces a 14-day window to escalate the case to the Supreme Court.