President Donald Trump speaks to the press about the new East Wing next to the construction site at the White House on May 19. An appeals court has ruled that the project to build a ballroom at the site needs congressional approval. File Photo by Samuel Corum/UPI | License Photo
Aug. 7 (UPI) -- A federal appeals court on Friday ruled that U.S. President Donald Trump's $400 million ballroom at the White House is unlawful and blocked further work on it.
In a 2-1 vote, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit ruled Congress has control over development funding for the White House and had not approved Trump's project.
"Whether or not a massive ballroom should be constructed is for Congress to decide and is not a matter for Executive self-help," the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals said in a majority opinion, siding with the country's top historic preservation organization that sued over the project last year.
"The National Trust has shown, compellingly, that Congress has not ceded unfettered authority to the Executive Branch to dramatically redesign, reshape, and reconstruct the White House -- the People's House -- to fit a particular President's desires," the majority ruled.
