Halting $400m White House ballroom project is national security risk, Trump officials say | Donald Trump
Donald Trump’s administration argues that a judge’s decision to halt construction of the $400 million ballroom at the White House poses a security risk for the US president, as his team asks the federal appeals court to pause the decision.
In a motion filed Friday, lawyers for the U.S. National Park Service (NPS) said the federal judge’s decision to suspend construction of the new facility “poses a threat of serious national security harm to the White House, the president and his family, and the president’s staff.”
“Time is very important!” lawyers write, citing materials that will be installed to create a “heavily fortified” facility. According to the file, the ballroom construction also includes bomb shelters, military facilities and a medical facility. The ballroom is part of Trump’s plans to rapidly restructure Washington.
On Tuesday, U.S. district judge Richard Leon in Washington ordered a temporary halt to the construction project, which includes demolishing the east wing of the White House. Unless Congress approves the project, he said, the conservationist group suing to stop the project is likely to succeed on the merits of its claims because “no legislation will come close to giving the president the authority he claims to have.”
The judge acknowledged that the Trump administration would appeal the decision and suspended implementation of his decision for 14 days.
Leon’s decision and appeal came the same week that a key agency tasked with approving construction on federal property in the Washington area gave final approval to the project.
In his decision, Leon, who was nominated for the post by Republican president George W. Bush, suspended implementation of his order, acknowledging that “stopping an ongoing construction project could cause logistical problems.”
Leon also touched on national security in his decision. He said he had reviewed the information privately provided to him by the government and concluded that halting construction would not endanger national security. It exempted from the measure any construction work necessary for the safety and security of the White House.
Trump lashed out at the decision, but said it would also allow work to continue on underground bunkers and other security measures around the White House. But these will be paid by taxpayers. Trump promised to cover the cost of the ballroom construction with private donors.
However, NPS argues in its motion that the president “has full authority to renovate the White House” and that the current state of the land, an open construction site, makes it difficult to preserve the White House.
“The canvas tents required without a ballroom are far more vulnerable to missiles, drones, and other threats than a fortified national security facility,” the NPS motion states.
The Trump administration is asking the appeals court to rule on its request by Friday. It was also requested that the 14-day postponement of Leon’s decision be extended for another two weeks so that the case could be taken to the US Supreme Court.
