The Daily Fuckup

A federal judge on April 16 kept most above-ground construction on President Donald Trump’s White House ballroom blocked, while allowing certain underground security work to move ahead. The order came after an appeals court said the judge needed to spell out more clearly how stopping the project intersected with the administration’s national-security arguments. ([apnews.com](https://apnews.com/article/1f3ad790860ce7a9c61a5a70d58b8b0e))

The case has moved in stages. On March 31, U.S. District Judge Richard Leon said the ballroom could not proceed without congressional approval, but he paused enforcement of that ruling for 14 days. On April 11, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit said it did not have enough information to decide how much of the project could be suspended without risking the safety of the president, his family or White House staff, and sent the matter back for clarification. ([apnews.com](https://apnews.com/article/94de5ef1346794d2576dad1c428db239))

In his latest order, Leon said the injunction still covers above-ground work, but does not bar underground construction tied to security features. Government lawyers have said that part of the project includes bunkers, military-related installations and a medical facility beneath the ballroom, while the White House has argued those elements are needed to protect the complex against threats ranging from drones to ballistic missiles and biohazards. ([apnews.com](https://apnews.com/article/1f3ad790860ce7a9c61a5a70d58b8b0e))

The project has already changed the White House grounds dramatically. The East Wing was demolished to make way for the ballroom, which the administration says will cover about 90,000 square feet. Officials first described the teardown as the cheapest way to deal with structural problems in the East Wing, saying renovation was not feasible because of deterioration, water damage, mold and other issues. ([apnews.com](https://apnews.com/article/94de5ef1346794d2576dad1c428db239))

The result is a narrower, more complicated court fight than the administration wanted. Above-ground construction remains on hold, but the legal dispute is now centered on where safety work ends and ballroom construction begins, and on how much authority the White House had to push ahead without Congress. ([apnews.com](https://apnews.com/article/1f3ad790860ce7a9c61a5a70d58b8b0e))