Divided Supreme Court Allows Construction of White House Ballroom; Congress Must Push Back
WASHINGTON, D.C. — In a 5-4 decision, the United States Supreme Court granted a stay of a district court order blocking President Trump’s White House ballroom project, allowing construction to continue. The Court majority did not address the legality of Trump’s ballroom project but ruled that the plaintiffs in the case did not have standing to sue. Writing for the dissent, Chief Justice John Roberts said that the ballroom “construction is likely unlawful.”
In response, Public Citizen co-president Lisa Gilbert stated:
“The ballroom is a microcosm of a hundred different issues with the Trump administration. This President has usurped the powers reserved for Congress by the Constitution and flouted the law at every turn. The White House belongs to the people, not to the President himself. We call upon Congress to hold President Trump accountable and affirm a fundamental principle on which this country was founded: No one, not even a President, is above the law.”
Public Citizen democracy advocate Jon Golinger said:
“In light of this disappointing decision by the Court, the next Congress must make investigating Trump’s illegal ballroom project and everyone involved with funding and facilitating it a top priority. Trump suffers from a crippling case of ‘palace-envy’ and who knows what national treasure he’ll demolish next to try to build himself another gold-plated monument. For now, we will keep digging into and exposing Trump’s ballroom funding schemes, through which he raked in millions from corporations with billions in government contracts and anonymous donors with unknown agendas.”