No. of Recommendations: 1
Well, that only authorizes the Administration to spend one penny. Per the judge's order on the preliminary injunction, the Administration also lacks any statutory authority allowing it to accept outside funds and direct them to the project:
Which would be addressed by the budget line item. Easy peasy.
That's in the conclusion, but it's of a piece with the substantive discussion elsewhere in the opinion that Congress has not authorized the President to accept private donations to fund the ballroom, and that such authorization would be necessary for him to be able to do that.
And...? Here, let's amend the legislation ourselves:
Sec. 100004243 (z): Authorization for General Improvements to White House Grounds and Buildings
The sum of $0.01 in Fiscal Year 2027 is authorized for general improvements to the White House, its grounds, and adjacent buildings. The appropriation may be combined with external donations and the project(s) under the discretion of the President.
Voila. Done.
