Two days after afederal judge orderedPresidentDonald Trump's $400 million ballroom project to be halted, saying it should first receive authorization from Congress, a federal planning agency is expected to take a final vote on the site and building plans for the project.
The April 2 vote by the 12-member National Capital Planning Commission, chaired by Will Scharf, White House staff secretary and Trump's former personal lawyer, will be held in person, allowing members of public to attend. This contrasts with the public hearing on March 5, which was moved online after theproject was deluged with more than 35,000 written commentsand 104 people wanting to testify. Most comments were negative.
Even if the commission votes in support of the ballroom, it can't override the judge's decision to stop construction on the project.
Detailed renderings reveal the scale of the proposed 89,000-square-foot White House ballroom. The images by Shalom Baranes Associates—later removed from the National Capital Planning Commission's website—show a new East Wing roughly a city block long, longer than the West Wing and more than half the length of the adjacent Treasury Building." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
See new renderings of massive 89,000-square-foot White House ballroom
Detailed renderings reveal the scale of the proposed 89,000-square-footWhite House ballroom. The images by Shalom Baranes Associates—later removed from the National Capital Planning Commission's website—show a new East Wing roughly a city block long, longer than the West Wing and more than half the length of the adjacent Treasury Building.
Still, the vote brings it to the last step of the review process, said Stephen Staudigl, spokesperson for the planning commission.
A White House official granted anonymity to speak freely told USA TODAY that "nothing about the injunction prevents a planning commission from considering the aesthetic and architectural value of the project."
Trump, who has long lamented the lack of a spacious ballroom within the White House grounds to eliminate reliance on temporary tents during events such as state dinners, called the judge's decision "WRONG" in a Truth Social post.
The project, which was announced by the White House in July, became a highly controversial undertaking when the East Wing was suddenly demolished to accommodate the 90,000 square foot ballroom.
Fundraising for the project through private donations also drew controversy. The White House has released a list of 37 donors that includes companies like Amazon, Apple, Caterpillar, Coinbase, Google, Comcast, HP, Lockheed Martin, Meta, Microsoft, T-Mobile and Union Pacific Railroad, it but hasn't specified the amount contributed. Some of the companies have business with the federal government.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation filed a lawsuit on Dec. 12 asking the court to halt further construction until the plans go through a congressional approval and legally mandatedreview process. The project's size would "overwhelm the White House itself," the preservation group said.
U.S. District Court Judge Richard J. Leon's ruling on March 31 questioned the "convoluted funding scheme" and noted that if congressional approval had been sought, it could "retain its authority over the nation's property and its oversight over the government's spending."
"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!," wrote Leon in a 35-page opinion.
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The ruling stops any actions "including but not limited to any further demolition, site preparation work, landscape alteration, excavation, foundation work, or other construction or related work," other than moves that are "strictly necessary" to ensure security in the area.
The Trump administration promptly filed an appeal.
Leon's order takes effect April 14 — two weeks from the date it was issued. The White House team is required to file a report informing the court of the status of its compliance within 21 days after the order takes effect.
The ballroom plans are in the final stages of the design approval process, with the Commission of Fine Arts approving the design on Feb. 27 and the National Capital Planning Commission expected to approve it on April 2. However, even if the NCPC approves the plan, the project can't move forward due to Leon's ruling.
When the White House first released the plans for the ballroom,Trumptold reporters that the addition would be "built over on the east side and it will be beautiful."
"It'll have views of the Washington Monument. It won't interfere with the current building," he said. "It'll be near it but not touching it and pay total respect to the existing building, which I'm the biggest fan of."
But plans changed.
The loss of the historical building drew criticism from the public and former residents, including former first ladies Hillary Clinton and Michelle Obama.
Clinton posted a picture of the torn-down facade of the East Wing with thecaption on X:"lt's not his house. It's your house. And he's destroying it."
Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy is a White House correspondent for USA TODAY.You can follow her on X @SwapnaVenugopal
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Trump's ballroom up for a vote amid judge's order to stop construction
