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... Another project to overhaul Lafayette Park is also ballooning the costs attached to the president's vision for the White House campus.

In total, $600 million will be used to create the White House ballroom space, while other funds will be used to support gold embellishments, the acquisition of statues, labor and materials.

The projects being undertaken without approval from lawmakers are unusual in their level of size and scope.

Historic preservationists and past leaders have decried the construction efforts, alleging that many of the plans have not undergone the proper review to ensure that the White House grounds are safe from permanent damage.

Last week, a federal appeals court ordered the administration to halt its construction projects for two weeks to allow the government to appeal its ruling blocking the ballroom's development with the Supreme Court.

"We are aware of no instance in American history in which a President unilaterally and using privately collected funds demolished substantial portions of the White House that Congress authorized to be built and American taxpayers paid for. Until now," the majority wrote, while the minority argued the ruling was "judicial overreach." ...