The Trump administration has asked a federal appeals court to pause a judge’s order that temporarily halted White House ballroom construction, arguing the shutdown would increase risks to President Donald Trump, his family, and his staff. In a motion filed Friday, lawyers for the National Park Service said the judge’s suspension of the project was creating what they described as security harms tied to the White House’s open construction conditions.
U.S. District Judge Richard Leon had ordered a temporary halt to the ballroom project in Washington, concluding that unless Congress approves the project, preservationists suing to stop it were likely to succeed on the merits of their claims about presidential authority. Leon, who was nominated by Republican President George W. Bush, also said he reviewed information privately submitted by the government and concluded that stopping construction would not jeopardize national security, while carving out construction work he deemed necessary for White House safety and security.
Leon’s ruling came after construction had already advanced, including work that involved demolishing the East Wing of the White House. Leon suspended enforcement of his halt order for 14 days, acknowledging that delaying enforcement could raise logistical issues as the administration appealed.
The administration’s appeal asked the appeals court for an additional pause, and sought a decision by Friday. It also asked that Leon’s 14-day suspension be extended by two more weeks to allow the case to be taken to the Supreme Court, according to the filing.
The National Park Service motion portrayed timing and security as urgent, writing, “Time is of the essence!” The lawyers said materials planned for the project would be installed to make a “heavily fortified” facility and said the ballroom’s construction includes bomb shelters, military installations and a medical facility.
The administration also argued that the ongoing construction site makes the White House more difficult to protect. In its submission, the National Park Service said the president had “complete authority to renovate the White House” and that current conditions—described as an open construction site—would make security measures harder.
The motion compared the conditions without a ballroom to the conditions with a hardened facility, saying “Canvas tents, which are necessary without a ballroom, are significantly more vulnerable to missiles, drones, and other threats than a hardened national security facility.” It said those differences matter as work continues on the grounds while the ballroom halt order remains in place.
The filing also said the case is unfolding in the same week that a key agency charged with approving construction on federal property in the Washington region gave final approval to the project. It further noted that Leon exempted safety and security work from the injunction, while Trump had criticized the ruling even as he pointed to continued work on underground bunkers and other security measures around the White House grounds—measures described as being paid for by taxpayers, while Trump pledged that he and private donors would cover the ballroom construction costs.
As the appeals process moves forward, the dispute centers on both the scope of the president’s authority and the administration’s assertion that continuing to halt the ballroom project would increase national-security risks at the White House.