The Trump administration received final approval on April 2 from the National Capital Planning Commission for its ballroom project.

The commission approved construction of the building, despite a judge’s order to halt construction unless Congress allows the change.

The final vote by the group was 8–1, with two commissioners voting present and one abstaining.

The National Capital Planning Commission is a 12-member agency in charge of approving construction on federal properties in the Washington area.

The agency went ahead with its vote two days after a ruling from Judge Richard Leon of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, which had an impact on construction activities but not the planning process.

Will Scharf, who was appointed chairman of the commission by President Donald Trump, said before the vote that Leon’s order has been stayed for two weeks while the administration appeals the ruling, but noted that the decision “really does not impact [the] action here today.”

“I believe that, in time, this ballroom will be considered every bit of a national treasure as the other key components of the White House,” he said.

The judge’s March 31 order states that the president of the United States “is the steward of the White House for future generations of First Families.”

“He is not, however, the owner!” it reads.

The judge asserted that Trump claimed that Congress gave the president the authority to build his East Wing ballroom project, “and to do it with private funds.”

Near the end of February, Leon denied a motion that would have halted the construction project, saying that the plaintiff based the challenge on a “ragtag group of theories under the Administrative Procedure Act and the Constitution.”

The National Trust for Historic Preservation, which brought the suit, asserted that construction of the 90,000-square-foot building, which began in September 2025, required public input, but the judge did not immediately agree.

However, on March 17, Leon voiced skepticism about the Justice Department’s argument defending the administration’s actions.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation has argued that the White House should have had congressional authorization for the change, while the Justice Department asserted that the change was an allowable alteration.

On March 29, Trump said the ballroom is “ahead of schedule and under budget,” while speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One.

He also reaffirmed that all the money for the construction has come from donors and the president himself. “There’s not one dime of government money going into the ballroom,” Trump said.

“For 150 years, they wanted to build a ballroom at the White House.

“It'll be the finest ballroom of its kind anywhere in the world.”