White House ballroom construction presses ahead as legal battle continues
- The Trump administration is accelerating construction on the White House ballroom project, which has seen its estimated cost rise to $600 million.
- Construction has rapidly progressed to above-ground framing, even as a federal appeals court continues to deliberate on the project’s legality.
- The Justice Department argues the administration possesses full authority to build the 90,000-square-foot addition without congressional approval and that courts cannot halt the work.
- A federal judge initially sided with a historic preservation group, requiring congressional approval, but an appeals court later permitted construction to proceed while arguments were considered.
- The project, which includes a ballroom and an underground bunker for security purposes, faces ongoing legal challenges from a nonprofit historic preservation group.
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