National Trust Sues to Halt White House Ballroom Build

President Donald Trump faced a federal lawsuit on Friday from the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which seeks to pause construction of a proposed White House ballroom until the project undergoes full architectural reviews, public input, and congressional approval.

The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., contends that the administration has fast-tracked the initiative in violation of the Administrative Procedure Act and the National Environmental Policy Act. It also argues that proceeding without congressional authorization exceeds the president's constitutional authority for a project of such magnitude. The ballroom, planned for the site of the recently demolished East Wing, would span nearly twice the footprint of the White House prior to that demolition.

Construction on the ballroom began about three months ago, after the East Wing was razed despite customary federal building protocols and historic preservation assessments. The administration has since dismissed the original architectural firm and brought in a new one to oversee the design. Preservation advocates highlight these steps as further evidence of bypassing standard procedures for...