The Trump administration wants to gain approval for the president's proposed $400 million East Wing ballroom in just nine weeks, a tight timeline that contrasts with other large-scale projects that typically take years to move through the same review process.
The administration plans to move the project through the system in two months, with an informational presentation at the National Capital Planning Commission planned for Jan. 8, then at the Commission of Fine Arts on Jan. 15.
Final votes will be on Feb. 19 at the CFA and on March 5 at the NCPC.
A White House official told The Washington Post that the administration on Dec. 22 formally submitted applications to the NCPC and CFA, committees charged by Congress with reviewing federal construction.
The CFA confirmed receiving an application, but the NCPC told the Post on Tuesday that it had not.
President Donald Trump and several federal agencies were sued in December by a preservation group over the ballroom construction.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation in court said the 90,000-square-foot project was proceeding without legally required reviews or approvals.
"No president is legally allowed to tear down portions of the White House without any review whatsoever — not President Trump, not President Biden, and not anyone else," the lawsuit said.
U.S. District Judge Richard Leon denied the group's bid for a temporary restraining order, saying it failed to show "irreparable harm" at this stage in its lawsuit while adding that the government must be prepared to undo any below-ground construction that dictates a specific design.
Since his January return to office, the Republican president has installed gold decorations throughout the Oval Office and paved over the lawn of the Rose Garden to create a patio resembling the setting at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.
The 90,000-square-foot ballroom Trump envisions would dwarf those renovations. In comments at a Hanukkah reception at the White House, he said his ballroom would cost $400 million, up from an earlier $300 million estimate.
"President Trump has full legal authority to modernize, renovate, and beautify the White House — just like all of his predecessors did," White House spokesman Davis Ingle said recently.
Reuters contributed to this report.
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.