WireAugust 7, 2026 at 11:31 PM
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WASHINGTON — The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit on Friday blocked the construction of a planned ballroom on White House grounds, ruling that the executive branch must secure explicit appropriation from Congress before proceeding. The president has stated he will appeal the decision directly to the Supreme Court.
The appellate decision halts construction that had already commenced, citing the separation of powers doctrine. The court found that without a specific congressional act allocating funds for the project, the executive branch lacks the constitutional authority to divert federal monies, even for improvements to the presidential residence.
For American taxpayers, the core issue is fiscal oversight. The cost of the proposed ballroom is estimated in the tens of millions of dollars, funds which the court argues must be subject to the people's representatives. The ruling reasserts the legislative branch's power of the purse against what critics describe as unilateral executive spending.
"This decision is a victory for constitutional governance," said a spokesperson for the committee that challenged the construction. "No president can unilaterally spend millions on a personal legacy project without a vote in Congress."
The administration's legal team contends the funds are drawn from existing executive residence budgets and discrete donation accounts, requiring no new legislative action. However, the appellate panel disagreed, stating that major structural additions exceed routine maintenance and fall squarely under congressional authority outlined in the Antideficiency Act.
The Supreme Court appeal will now test the boundaries of executive branch autonomy over federal property. The outcome will directly impact the role of Congress in monitoring and approving how taxpayer funds are utilized for executive branch projects in the future.