The latest pieces of President Donald Trump's wide-ranging Washington makeover are set for an airing Thursday in front of a federal panel that already has blessed other big-ticket plans from the designer-in-chief.
The National Capital Planning Commission, which this spring approved Trump's White House ballroom proposal after he razed the Executive Mansion's East Wing without authorization, will discuss a proposed fence around Lafayette Park in front
of the White House.
The panel also will review a proposed underground security screening center for White House visitors. It's the first time the commission will take up either idea, and votes are not expected. But the commission and the separate U.S. Commission of Fine Arts thus far have not been an obstacle for Trump's plans for the capital.
The fine arts panel, which is controlled by Trump appointees, approved the visitors' center plans at its July meeting. It heard a presentation on the Lafayette Square fencing but took no action. The fencing also carries the most potential for controversy and opposition on Thursday.
The planning commission is not as dominated by Trump appointees but still has a clear tilt in the Republican president's favor. The 12 members include three presidential appointees, plus Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, General Services Administrator Ed Forst and, from Congress, Sen. Rand Paul and Rep. James Comer, both Republicans. The new chairman, Mark Paoletta, will chair his first meeting. White House Counsel Will Scharf previously held the role.
Both proposals come at a time when security for the president is a top concern. The administration says the projects would be an improvement over temporary structures that have long been used for security, such as bicycle racks fashioned into barriers.
Trump has been the target of multiple assassination attempts, including two during the 2024 campaign and a third this past April as he attended a Washington dinner with White House journalists. Those concerns were heightened in May after U.S. Secret Service officers fatally shot a man who opened fire near a White House security checkpoint.
But Lafayette Square fencing still would be a marked permanent change to the usual access and appearance of the grounds in front of the White House. The square last had permanent fencing in the late 1800s.
The administration’s 79-page proposal for the 8-acre (3-hectare) park calls for fencing all the way around with larger gates at the north and south entrances. Options call for either including or excluding monuments located at each of the park’s four corners.
The White House Visitor Screening Facility, meanwhile, has been viewed as a noncontroversial part of the administration's call for increased security measures.
The administration says the permanent facility, which it wants open by July 2028, would replace a series of temporary tents that have been used for years, in a bid to improve security on the White House complex and enhance the experience for visitors. The original design had it being built underground near the southern end of Sherman Park, just southeast of the White House. But consultations with other entities led to it being moved to the western edge, away from utility infrastructure.
