The Supreme Court will allow construction of the White House ballroom to continue for now, according to an order released Friday.
President Donald Trump' administration asked the high court to let it resume construction on its $400 million ballroom project — and the defensive structures beneath it — while it appeals a lower court’s order that halted the work.
That decision came earlier in August from a three-judge panel on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.
Friday's order, which allows construction to continue, will remain in effect until further notice from the Supreme Court.
The Trump administration has argued that the construction is a "national security imperative."
“Given the current “un-precedented levels of danger for the President, every day the President does not have access to the vital security features of the military complex presents unacceptable risk, no matter how long the Project takes to complete," the administration argues.
A spokesperson for the National Trust for Historic Preservation in the United States, which filed the initial suit against the construction, released the following statement:
"We are aware of the administrative stay. To be clear, this is not a final decision on the merits of the government’s stay application, and we await further action."
This is a breaking news story and will be updated.
