美国联邦上诉法院裁定，特朗普总统建造白宫宴会厅必须获得国会批准，并下令停止该项目的施工。[1][2] 法院支持历史保护组织的诉讼，认定这类重大建筑决定权属于国会，而非行政部门可自主推行。[1] 法院在裁决中指出，宴会厅是否应建造取决于国会决定，不是行政部门自行决定的事项。[1] 法院暂缓执行该裁决两周，以便特朗普政府向最高法院上诉。[1][2]
这项工程规模达9万平方英尺（8360平方米），是70多年来白宫最大的结构改建。[2] 白宫律师曾辩称该项目包含针对无人机、弹道导弹和生物危害的关键安全功能，但上诉法院以国家安全"不是自动豁免法律的理由"为由拒绝了这一论证。[2] 法院表述，总统是白宫的临时租赁者，而非所有者，不能未经国会批准从根本上改造它。[2] 地下掩体和军事设施的施工可以继续。[3]
特朗普任命的法官涅奥米·瑞奥提出异议，认为该项目应在总统权限内。[3] 特朗普宣布将立即向最高法院提起上诉，并称这一裁决为"可怕的、在政治上有动机且违法的"。[2][3]
A federal appeals court has ruled that President Trump must obtain authorization from Congress before proceeding with construction of a ballroom at the White House, ordering work to cease immediately [1][2][3]. The court upheld a preliminary injunction brought by historical preservation advocates, determining that such a major architectural undertaking at the White House falls outside the president's unilateral authority [1]. The panel stated that "whether or not a massive ballroom should be constructed is for Congress to decide and is not a matter for Executive self-help" [1], and stressed that "the Defendants may not do so during the district court's expeditious litigation without securing Congress's authorization, as the Constitution and laws require" [1].
The proposed ballroom, measuring 90,000 square feet, would represent the most significant structural change to the White House in over 70 years [2]. The White House had argued that the project includes critical security features designed to counter unmanned drones, ballistic missiles, and biological hazards [2]. However, the court rejected the national security rationale, ruling that such concerns do not serve as an automatic exemption from applicable law [2]. One Trump-appointed judge, Neomi Rao, dissented, arguing that the National Trust for Historic Preservation lacked standing to challenge the project [3].
The court has granted a two-week stay of its order, allowing the Trump administration to petition the Supreme Court [1][2]. Trump has announced he will immediately appeal the decision to the nation's highest court [2][3]. On social media, Trump characterized the ruling as "horrible, politically motivated, and illegal" [2][3]. The majority judges wrote that they were unaware of any president in American history who had unilaterally demolished White House facilities constructed and funded by Congress "until now" [3]. Meanwhile, underground bunker and military facility construction is permitted to continue [3].