Preservationists sue Trump Administration to block construction of ballroom
(CBS, KYMA) - The National Trust for Historic Preservation in the U.S. has filed the first major lawsuit against President Donald Trump and his administration in an effort to block construction of his planned ballroom on the grounds of the White House.
The non-profit, with a stated mission of stewarding and revitalizing historic sites, argued in a complaint filed in federal court in Washington on Friday that no president is allowed to tear down parts of the White House "without any review whatsoever," or construct a ballroom on public property "without giving the public an opportunity to weigh in."
The Washington Post was first to report the lawsuit.
"No president is legally allowed to tear down portions of the White House without any review whatsoever — not President Trump, not President Biden, not anyone else," the complaint said. "And no president is legally allowed to construct a ballroom on public property without giving the public the opportunity to weigh in. President Trump's efforts to do so should be immediately halted, and work on the ballroom project should be paused until the defendants complete the required reviews — reviews that should have taken place before the defendants demolished the East Wing, and before they began construction of the ballroom — and secure the necessary approvals."
