White House Renovation and Oversight

Rep. Jamie Raskin plans to introduce the "People's White House Historic Preservation Act" to require Section 106 historic-review and mandatory consultations with the National Capital Planning Commission and the Commission of Fine Arts before any White House renovation ground‑breaking, after the East Wing was demolished in October as part of a roughly $300 million ballroom project the Park Service says will finish by Summer 2028. The administration says consultations with NCPC and CFA will begin "in the coming weeks" and that above‑grade work could start as early as April 2026 while defending the project as a national‑security necessity amid a preservationist lawsuit alleging violations of federal environmental and administrative laws.