An emergency motion argues that the pause on construction leaves the White House ‘open and exposed’. Key US politics stories from Saturday 4 April at a glance
A judge’s order to stop construction work on the White House ballroom poses security risks, the Trump administration argued in an emergency motion that seeks to set aside the ruling.
The emergency motion argues that US district judge Richard Leon’s decision has left the executive mansion “open and exposed” and is “threatening grave national-security harms to the White House, the President and his family, and the President’s staff”.
Leon on Tuesday ruled that construction work on the White House ballroom must pause while a lawsuit works its way through the courts. The lawsuit seeks to halt the $400m project on the site of the recently demolished East Wing, with plaintiffs arguing that it needs approval from Congress to proceed.
“Time is of the essence!” the administration’s lawyers wrote in the motion, citing materials that will be installed to make a “heavily fortified” facility.
