The National Trust for Historic Preservation has filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, aiming to halt the demolition of the East Wing of the White House and the construction of a new ballroom. The lawsuit, filed on Friday (December 12), claims that the administration failed to submit necessary construction and environmental plans for review by the National Capital Planning Commission, the Commission of Fine Arts, and Congress.
The nonprofit, which is chartered by Congress to preserve historic U.S. buildings, argues that the construction violates the Administrative Procedure Act and the National Environmental Policy Act. The group emphasized that no president is legally allowed to demolish parts of the White House or construct new facilities without public input and proper review.
The 90,000-square-foot ballroom project began in September and has faced criticism from preservationists, activists, and local residents. Despite the lawsuit, the White House maintains that President Trump has the legal authority to modernize and renovate the White House. White House spokesperson Davis Ingle stated, “President Trump has full legal authority to modernize, renovate, and beautify the White House – just like all of his predecessors did.”
The administration plans to submit the construction plans to a federal planning commission later this month and has recruited additional architects for the renovation. The lawsuit represents a significant effort to halt the renovations, following a similar but dismissed lawsuit by a Virginia couple in October.
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