The Trump administration urged a federal court this week to allow construction of the White House East Wing, including the new ballroom, to continue, with a senior Secret Service official warning of “numerous security risks” if the project is halted.
U.S. District Judge Richard Leon, an appointee of former President George W. Bush, had ordered construction on the ballroom to be paused, but he included an exception for “construction necessary to ensure the safety and security of the White House.” The National Trust for Historic Preservation, the group that sued the administration over the construction of the ballroom, filed a motion seeking to clarify the scope of that exception and have the judge order that it does not include the construction of the ballroom itself.
