Trump asks Supreme Court to allow White House ballroom

The Trump administration has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to allow continued construction of a $400 million White House ballroom, which includes underground security bunkers and facilities. The project is partly underground and two-thirds complete, and is funded by private money, not congressional appropriation. Lower courts have blocked the above-ground portion while allowing underground work to proceed, ruling that Congress did not authorize the renovation and public review was bypassed. Critics, including the National Trust for Historic Preservation, say Congress must authorize major changes to the People’s House and that statutory procedures were bypassed. The DC Circuit previously upheld the halt on the above-ground work, and the Supreme Court’s intervention would test executive security claims against judicial checks. The case underscores tensions among national security, historic preservation, and the balance of power between the presidency and Congress.