1 of 2 | Construction continues on the East Wing ballroom on the South Lawn at the White House in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday. Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo
Aug. 14 (UPI) -- The Trump administration has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to allow it to continue construction on the White House's planned $400 million ballroom.
The request came a week after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit ruled that the construction was unlawful and blocked further work on it. The court said Congress has authority over development funding for the White House and it had not approved the project.
The appellate court gave the administration until Aug. 21 to halt construction to give them time to appeal the ruling to the Supreme Court.
U.S. Solicitor General D. John Sauer filed an emergency appeal with the high court Thursday, saying that halting work on the controversial project threatens national security. The Trump administration has long said that the new ballroom would provide security to those at the White House.
