Even Roberts Says the Ballroom Is Likely Illegal. Congress Must Act.

I am writing to demand that Congress immediately assert its constitutional authority and halt the unapproved, ongoing construction of the private ballroom complex on the grounds of the White House. Under Article IV, Section 3 of the Constitution, authority over federal property belongs exclusively to Congress. Under Article I, Section 9, no public funds may be spent without an explicit statutory appropriation. The $400 million to $600 million, 90,000-square-foot project has received no congressional authorization and has bypassed statutory reviews required by the National Capital Planning Commission and the Commission of Fine Arts. Lower courts found the executive branch showed no statutory authority to build this structure. Following a 5–4 Supreme Court procedural ruling that addressed only standing—without ruling the project legal—prompting Chief Justice Roberts himself to dissent that the construction is 'likely unlawful'—the administration is running around-the-clock construction crews to complete it before courts can rule on the merits. Furthermore, the administration promised the public this project would cost taxpayers nothing. Reporting on internal contractor estimates found that of a total cost growing toward $600 million, roughly $307 million was expected to come from taxpayer-funded sources, including the Secret Service, the White House Military Office, and the Executive Residence. Documents confirm the administration has already transferred $397 million into White House security accounts, drawn from Secret Service allocations Congress passed specifically for operational personnel, training, and technology. Congress previously rejected a $220 million reconciliation request for an "East Wing Modernization Project." Congress already said no to funding this project, yet public money is being spent on it anyway. I urge you to take three immediate legislative actions: 1. ENACT AN IMMEDIATE FUNDING CUTOFF: Prohibit the obligation, expenditure, or reprogramming of any federal funds—including Secret Service, military, Executive Residence, security, or utility tie-in funds—for this project in the next appropriations vehicle. 2. SUBPOENA TRANSFERRED FUNDS & LAUNCH IG AUDITS: Subpoena the Department of the Treasury, Secret Service, and GSA for a full accounting of the $397 million transferred, and refer the matter to the Inspector General to investigate potential Antideficiency Act violations. 3. PROTECT STATUTORY STANDING IN D.C.: Enact legislation confirming that public interest organizations have standing to enforce federal property and historic preservation planning statutes in the District of Columbia. Congress does not need a court’s permission to defend its own power of the purse. Allowing the executive branch to spend hundreds of millions after Congress explicitly said no is not merely an abdication of duty—it is a direct violation of your sworn oath to support and defend the Constitution. If you refuse to use your power to stop this misappropriation of public funds, you are failing your foundational obligation to the American people.