A US judge ruled Tuesday that President Donald Trump cannot build a ballroom on the White House grounds without Congress’s approval.
Trump’s $400 million (€346 million) ballroom was planned for the East Wing of the White House, which was demolished last year to make way for the new structure.
The US President has said that the ballroom is a necessary addition to the White House complex.
The non-profit organization National Trust for Historic Preservation filed a lawsuit in federal court, alleging that Trump exceeded his authority with the project.
Republican former President George W. Bush-appointed U.S. District Judge Richard Lyons granted the request for a preliminary injunction, which would halt construction of the ballroom project until the legal case is resolved.
“The President of the United States is the steward of the White House for future generations of First Families. However, he is not the owner!” Lyon wrote in the court order.
“Where does this leave us? Unfortunately for the defendants, until Congress blesses this project through statutory authorization, construction must halt!” He added.
‘Leftist Maniac’
The Trump administration was given 14 days to appeal the decision, which it filed soon after it was announced.
“This is a victory for the American people on a project that forever impacts one of the most beloved and iconic places in our country,” Carol Quillen, CEO of the conservation group, said in a statement.
Trump has hit back at the National Trust over a legal challenge against its ballroom.
In a post on his social media site Truth Social, he referred to the National Trust as a group of left-wing “lunatics” and defended his ballroom, saying it was being built “under budget, ahead of schedule, at no cost to the taxpayers, and it will be the finest building of its kind anywhere in the world.”
The group has also filed a legal challenge against the Trump administration over its move to overhaul the Kennedy Center performing arts venue in Washington, a space that Trump unilaterally renamed the Trump Kennedy Center.
Edited by: Srinivas Majumdaru