Trump admin defends White House ballroom as national security matter

The Trump administration argued in a court filing on Monday that pausing construction on the new White House ballroom would undermine national safety citing a Secret Facility declaration warning that halting work would leave the site unable to meet safety and safeguard requirements needed to protect the president The declaration says the White House's East Wing demolished in October and now undergoing below-grade work cannot be left unfinished without compromising essential precaution measures Accordingly any pause in construction even temporarily would leave the contractor's obligation unfulfilled in this regard and consequently hamper the Secret Institution s ability to meet its statutory obligations and protective mission reads the filing in part The leadership s memorandum was in response to a lawsuit filed last week in the U S District Court for the District of Columbia by the National Trust for Historic Preservation a nonprofit that says it advocates for preserving historic sites of national importance and protecting the constituents s role in that process WALZ REPEATS DEBUNKED CLAIM THAT TRUMP CONSIDERS WHITE HOUSE BALLROOM 'TOP PRIORITY'The National Trust lawsuit targets key executive officers responsible for overseeing the White House grounds and the agencies managing the construction project including the National Park Facility and the Department of the Interior It argues that pausing the Trump administration s ballroom project is essential to prevent irreversible changes while the required oversight and society involvement procedures are carried out Submitting the project to the National Capital Planning Commission for review protects the iconic historic features of the White House campus as it evolves Inviting comments from the American people signals respect and helps ensure a lasting legacy that befits a ruling body of the people by the people for the people announced Carol Quillen the president and CEO of the National Trust for Historic Preservation TRUMP UNVEILS VISION FOR EISENHOWER EXECUTIVE OFFICE BUILDING MAKEOVERThe White House disclosed President Donald Trump s plans in July to move forward with a -square-foot state ballroom that would cost an estimated million That figure has now risen to at least million and while the project is backed by particular private donors Trump has also insisted it will be funded by me and specific friends of mine In its filing the administration emphasized that key regulatory reviews are forthcoming saying it plans to submit draft architectural drawings and materials to the National Capital Planning Commission and the U S Commission of Fine Arts in the coming weeks The regime argued the lawsuit is premature because above-grade construction is not scheduled to begin until April The National Trust however counters that the scale of the project makes early intervention necessary In its lawsuit the group argues that the -square-foot addition would dwarf the Executive Residence and permanently upset the classical balance of the White House's design The complaint also cites an October declaration from the Society of Architectural Historians which warned that the proposed ballroom would represent the preponderance essential exterior change to the building in more than years