Washington: US President Donald Trump said that his administration would immediately approach the US Supreme Court after an appellate court ruling against continued construction of a military and security complex at the White House.
Trump said two appellate judges had voted against what he described as a “desperately needed Military Center” required for the national security of Washington and the country.
“The decision has been stayed, and does not take effect for a period of time. We will be immediately appealing to the United States Supreme Court,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
The President cited a dissent by Judge Neomi Rao, who argued that the lower court had no jurisdiction because the plaintiff lacked standing to halt construction.
“This was a blatant abuse of discretion,” Rao said, according to the excerpts shared by Trump.
“To begin with, the district court had no jurisdiction because the Trust has no standing to stop construction at the White House,” she said.
Rao said the balance of equities “overwhelmingly favours the government”. She accused the district court of placing “the aesthetic displeasure of a single passerby” above the government’s security concerns and the risks of leaving an open construction site at the President’s home and office.
“The district court seized supervision of construction at the White House, and my colleagues affirm this judicial overreach,” Rao said. “Because the injunction is beyond the proper province of the federal courts, construction should be allowed to continue.”
Trump described the ruling as politically motivated and unlawful. He said the military and the Secret Service viewed it as a national security threat because the complex was designed to protect the country and future presidents.
According to Trump, the integrated project includes bomb shelters, a hospital and medical facilities, top-secret military installations, protective partitioning and missile-resistant steel. He said it would also include drone-proof ceilings and roofs, military-grade ventilation and glass capable of resisting bullets, ballistic impacts and blasts.
“It is all tied together as one big, expensive, and very complex unit, which is vital for National Security and Military Operations of the United States of America!” Trump said.
The President argued that the ruling jeopardised White House employees, future presidents and their families. He said visiting heads of state, dignitaries and members of the public could also be affected.
Trump said the secure ballroom was being built ahead of schedule and under budget. He described it as a gift from himself and other private supporters and said it would impose no cost on taxpayers.
“The entire Complex, Military and all, is largely built, fabricated, and paid for. Much is already on site, or being delivered,” he said. “This unjust decision must be overturned by the Supreme Court in its entirety.”
Rao was appointed to the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit during Trump’s first term. The Senate confirmed her in 2019 after she had served as administrator of the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs.
(IANS)
