White House Ballroom Plan Approved as Legal Battle Looms

Members of the National Capital Planning Commission Thursday vote 8-1 in support of President Trump’s East Wing addition that includes a massive ballroom days after a judge halts its construction.

Demonstrators gather outside of the National Capital Planning Commission meeting prior to a vote on Thursday in Washington, D.C. The National Capital Planning Commission approved the proposal for a new $400 million ballroom project at the White House. (Photo by Al Drago/Getty Images)

President Trump’s plans for a new 90,000-square-foot White House East Wing that includes a massive ballroom was approved Thursday by a Washington, D.C., design review commission two days after a federal judge ordered construction work on the site to stop until Congress allows it to move forward.

The National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC), a panel of 12 people, most who were recently appointed by the president, went ahead with the vote because the judge’s order does not impact the action of the commission, NCPC Chairman William Scharf said before the panel approved the final plan 8-1. Two commissioners voted present and one was absent.

“The injunction doesn’t speak to the NCPC review process,” Scharf sai…