White House says ballroom construction is matter of national security

The Trump administration has said in a court filing that the White House ballroom construction project must proceed, citing national security imperatives.

The filing on Monday came in response to a lawsuit filed last Friday by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

The trust is seeking a federal injunction to halt the work until it undergoes independent reviews and secures Congressional approval.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation, a privately funded group, is asking the U.S. District Court to block Trump’s White House ballroom project until it goes through multiple independent reviews and wins approval from Congress.

Trump's project, which involved razing the East Wing, has prompted criticism in the historic preservation and architectural communities, and among his political adversaries.

Friday’s lawsuit is the most tangible effort thus far to alter or stop the president's plans for an addition that itself would be nearly twice the size of the White House before the East Wing’s demolition.

“No president is legally allowed to tear down portions of the White House without any review whatsoever — not President Trump, not President Biden, and not anyone else,” the lawsuit states.

Preservationists want the project halted until it goes through comprehensive design reviews, environmental assessments, public comments and congressional debate and ratification.

Additionally, the Trust wants the court to declare that Trump, by fast-tracking the project, has committed multiple violations of the Administrative Procedures Act and the National Environmental Policy Act, while also exceeding his constitutional authority by not consulting lawmakers.

Trump, a Republican, has emphasized since announcing the project that he’s doing it with private money, including his own. But that would not necessarily change how federal laws and procedures apply to what is still a U.S. government project.

The president already has bypassed the federal government’s usual building practices and historical reviews with the East Wing demolition. He recently added another architectural firm to the project.

Trump has long said a White House ballroom is overdue, complaining that events were held outside under a tent because the East Room and the State Dining Room could not accommodate bigger crowds. Trump, among other complaints, said guests get their feet wet if it rains during such events.