White House asks appeals court to revive Trump’s ballroom plans

The Trump administration has asked a federal appeals court to block a lower judge who ordered a halt to construction on President Trump’s ballroom project.

The administration has said it makes no sense to force the president to seek permission from Congress before making renovations to the White House.

Officials offered their strongest defense yet of Mr. Trump’s authority to carry out the teardown and rebuild, suggesting that the anger over his ballroom project is out of character with the story.

Government lawyers asked the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia to issue an emergency ruling allowing construction to begin this month, as Mr. Trump had planned.

Judge Richard J. Leon, a George W. Bush appointee, halted all but the most rudimentary safety and security construction in a ruling Tuesday. He said the Constitution gives Congress power over federal property and the District of Columbia, and therefore Congress must approve Mr. Trump’s White House construction plans.

But government lawyers said that couldn’t be true.

“Decisions about what is necessary to ensure the safety of the President, his family, and his staff belong to the President and cannot in any way be outsourced to other branches of government, just as the President cannot dictate the construction or architectural design needs of the Senate,” Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate wrote in a filing Friday.

Mr. Trump in October demolished the old East Wing, which housed the first lady’s offices and a theater. He said the White House complex needs a world-class ballroom.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation sued and, after some initial legal setbacks, won Judge Leon’s order barring above-ground construction, which was scheduled to begin this month.

“The President of the United States is the steward of the White House for future generations of the First Families. However, he is not the owner!” said the judge.

Mr. Shumate, however, told the appeals court that this was a different standard than previous presidents have had to meet.

“Congress was not involved in the design, planning and architecture of the original East Wing or West Wing decades ago,” he said.

Mr. Shumate asked the appeals court to grant a stay, thereby suspending Judge Leon’s decision. If the appeals court does not do so, he asked for at least a short stay to give the administration the opportunity to ask the Supreme Court to intervene.

Mr Shumate said the east wing had been altered numerous times, with columns knocked down, put back in place, then taken down again and a “random” addition stacked on top. He also said the building had been severely damaged by the construction of “top secret spaces” underground.

Not only was this work done without congressional approval, but it also meant that the East Wing as it existed last year was a far cry from the original building that the trust had said it was pursuing.

In addition, Mr. Shumate said, the building needed security and structural improvements that Mr. Trump is trying to make, including “bulletproof and blast-proof windows” and strengthening of the roof and walls. The deputy attorney general said the old structure could not have sustained these loads.

And he said the foundation was plagued by “mold and various other contaminants, some of which could not be cured.”

Mr. Trump belatedly won approval from the Commission of Fine Arts and the National Capital Planning Commission for his ballroom plans.

The president showed photos of his plans for the ballroom to reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday. He said the latest design makes the structure “almost a twin of the White House,” matching the style and height.

He also revealed that the military was building a security complex beneath the ballroom and said the building would have bulletproof glass and “drone-proof roofs.”

“I think it will be the most beautiful building of its type in the world,” the president said.