Overview
- In a Thursday ruling, U.S. District Judge Richard Leon again blocked any above‑ground work on the 90,000‑square‑foot East Wing ballroom and let only underground security and site‑protection work proceed.
- Leon paused enforcement for seven days to allow appeals and warned that any above‑ground building done during the stay may have to be torn down.
- The administration filed a new appeal after a D.C. Circuit panel last week allowed temporary work and told Leon to clarify the limits of his national‑security carve‑out.
- Leon said national security is not a blank check and rejected the claim that the entire project qualifies as a security measure without explicit approval from Congress.
- The $400 million plan relies on private donations for the ballroom and public funds for the bunker, and it still needs congressional authorization despite recent approvals from federal design panels.