Judge temporarily halts Trump’s $400m White House ballroom project

District Judge Richard Leon says construction has to stop until Congress provides statutory authorisation.A judge has ruled that US President Donald Trump cannot proceed with his planned $400m ballroom on the site of the White House’s demolished East Wing without approval from Congress.District Judge Richard Leon on Tuesday granted a request for a preliminary injunction filed by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which sued after alleging Trump had exceeded his authority by razing the historic East Wing and launching construction on the new building.Recommended Stories list of 2 itemslist 1 of 2What to know about Trump’s plan to build $250m White House ballroomlist 2 of 2Preservationists sue to halt Trump’s White House ballroom constructionend of list“I have concluded that the National Trust is likely to succeed on the merits because no statute comes close to giving the President the authority he claims to have,” Leon, an appointee of former Republican President George W Bush, wrote in the ruling.“The President of the United States is the steward of the White House for future generations of First Families. He is not, however, the owner!” he said. “Unless and until Congress blesses this project through statutory authorization, construction has to stop!”Leon said the order does not affect “construction necessary to ensure the safety and security of the White House”.His ruling keeps the 90,000 square-foot (8,360 square-metre) ballroom project on hold while the lawsuit continues.The judge said he was pausing his order for 14 days to allow the ⁠Trump administration to appeal. Hours later, the Justice Department filed an appeal at the Washington, DC-based US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.Artist renderings of the new White House East Wing and Ballroom [Jon Elswick/AP]Carol Quillen, president and CEO of the National Trust, welcomed Leon’s ruling.