Rubio pleads for White House ballroom, says US hosts dignitaries in ‘unsafe and unsanitary’ tents

WASHINGTON, DC: Secretary of State Marco Rubio made a strong statement in favor of President Donald Trump's controversial White House ballroom project, stating that both America's international position and presidential security are in question since the administration asked the Supreme Court on Friday, August 14, to permit the construction to go ahead after several lower courts had ruled against it.

A request for an emergency hearing before the Supreme Court comes after a decision on August 7 by the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, in which the court upheld a lower court order that would stop above-ground work on the 90,000-square-foot project. The injunction will come into effect on August 21 unless the Supreme Court takes action.

Marco Rubio says US has to host dignitaries in plastic or canvas tents on the South Lawn

In his declaration supporting the administration's appeal, Rubio drew a stark contrast between the facilities the US offers visiting heads of state and those it receives when its own officials travel abroad.

“In my work with heads of state and foreign ministers, I am frequently hosted in reception facilities that are visually impressive and reflective of the wealth and beauty of the nations I am visiting,” he wrote. “In the United States, by contrast, we currently lack the ability to hold large events of a similar magnitude on White House grounds for those same heads of state and foreign dignitaries.”

“Instead, we must currently host such visits in plastic or canvas tents on the South Lawn with unsafe and unsanitary portable bathrooms and accommodations unbecoming of our national stature,” Rubio noted. 

Marco Rubio frames project as security and diplomatic imperative

The secretary of state further stated that the project is a matter of national security, as the US needs to provide security equal to that of other nations for their diplomats.

“Our foreign counterparts offer premier security arrangements for United States officials. It is imperative that we not only offer the same level of elite security services, but offer the world’s leading capabilities in an efficient manner on grounds over which we exert permanent control,” Rubio stressed. 

Besides the image of being able to host delegations in temporary tents, Rubio pointed out that the matter is one of national security, as the US cannot host its allies in hotels that it does not permanently control due to threats to the president’s life. 

“We must obviously seek every reasonable means to mitigate both the more predictable risks, including weather and physical incursions, but also emerging threats,” he said. 

“The East Wing Project is essential to that defensive security posture. The Project is absolutely critical not only for the physical safety of guests, but also for advancing our diplomatic relations and the interests and standing of the United States in the world,” Rubio wrote.

The issue before the court is whether Trump had the authority to order destruction of the White House East Wing and the construction of a new facility without congressional approval.

Solicitor General John Sauer argued in the Supreme Court that the appeals court's injunction was "extraordinary and unlawful," and argued that putting work on hold would put the security of the president and visiting foreign leaders at risk.