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Preservation group sues Trump administration over White House ballroom project
by Michael Sinkewicz · Fox NewsNEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
President Donald Trump is being sued by a historic preservation group seeking to stop construction of his new White House ballroom.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation filed a lawsuit Friday against the Trump administration, arguing that it skipped mandatory reviews and failed to seek congressional approval before demolishing the East Wing of the White House.
"No president is legally allowed to tear down portions of the White House without any review whatsoever — not President Trump, not President Biden, and not anyone else," the lawsuit stated. "And no president is legally allowed to construct a ballroom on public property without giving the public the opportunity to weigh in."
Attorneys for the nonprofit argued Trump’s project "should be immediately halted" and work on the 90,000-square-foot ballroom project should be paused until the reviews are completed.
When reached for comment, White House spokesperson Davis Ingle told Fox News Digital, "President Trump has full legal authority to modernize, renovate and beautify the White House – just like all of his predecessors did."
Construction on the ballroom started in October, leading to the demolition of the White House’s historic East Wing. The project is being privately funded at an estimated cost of $300 million, up from a $200 million estimate in July when the project was unveiled.
The lawsuit claims the Trump administration failed to submit its demolition plans to the National Capital Planning Commission, the Commission of Fine Arts and Congress before construction began, arguing it is "depriving the public of its right to be informed."
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Additionally, the National Trust said the project violates numerous federal statutes, including the Administrative Procedure Act and the National Environmental Policy Act, and claimed Trump circumvented the Constitution.
"The President, acting unilaterally, is wholly without constitutional authority to build or demolish anything on federal Grounds," the lawsuit stated.
The National Trust is requesting that a federal judge prevent the Trump administration from continuing work on the Ballroom project until the necessary federal commissions have reviewed and approved the project’s plans, an adequate environmental review has been conducted and Congress has authorized the ballroom’s construction.
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The White House is expected to submit plans for Trump’s new ballroom to a federal planning commission before the end of the year.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Michael Sinkewicz is a writer for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to michael.sinkewicz@fox.com