The National Capital Planning Commission will vote today on President Donald Trump's ballroom plans, which have faced steep opposition from critics and have been temporarily blocked by a judge.
The commission, which is led by Trump appointees,met last monthto evaluate the plans and public comments, many of which were negative. Critics have blasted the project as "appalling," a "monstrosity" and "vulgar" in the public comments.
Will Scharf, the Trump-appointed commission chair, said at the start of the March 5 meeting that the panel would hold a final vote on the project in April because of the high volume of public comments and testimony. The panel would typically vote directly after public testimony, Scharf said at the time.
But later in the meeting, Scharf asserted that the voting plans were not being delayed, saying that "our plan has been to proceed to a final vote on this project on April 2 for quite some time."
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The ballroom project faces a new legal hurdle after a federal judge issued an order ealier this weektemporarily blockingthe ballroom's construction and any additional demolition of the East Wing.
U.S. District Judge Richard J. Leon said inhis opinionthat the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which brought the lawsuit, "is likely to succeed on the merits because no statute comes close to giving the President the authority he claims to have."
"The President of the United States is the steward of the White House for future generations of First Families," Leon, a President George W. Bush appointee, said at the beginning of the opinion. "He is not, however, the owner!"
The $400 million ballroom project is anticipated to encompass 90,000 square feet if it moves forward. The president has said that private donors, himself included, would fund the ballroom. Comcast Corp., the parent company of NBC News, is among thecorporate donors.
The East Wing was demolished in October to clear the way for the project, despite Trump's previous comments that the ballroom "won't interfere with the current building."