Trump seeks to replace White House visitor screening center with underground facility

By Riane Lumer, CNN

(CNN) — The White House is planning to build a sprawling 33,000-square-foot underground security screening facility for visitors, part of a larger renovation effort in President Donald Trump’s makeover of the campus.

The new seven-lane entrance would require visitors and tour groups to pass under a nearby park before accessing the grounds for tours or events, according to plans sent Friday to the National Capital Planning Commission, which is responsible for approving construction for federal land and buildings.

The proposal will be discussed at the NCPC’s April 2 meeting, according to the commission’s tentative agenda. Will Scharf, chairman of the commission, also serves as Trump’s staff secretary.

The new facility would be built on the site of the old East Wing, which was suddenly demolished last fall to make way for an planned 90,000-square-foot ballroom as part of Trump’s proclaimed “legacy project.” The upcoming NCPC meeting will also include a vote on the proposed ballroom.

There have been discussions about building an underground screening complex for decades. The National Park Service began conducting studies to do so after the September 11, 2001, terror attacks. But even though a similar structure was added at the US Capitol, multiple efforts to build the White House iteration were shut down due to a lack of appetite for funding the massive project.

Those plans, one source familiar with the matter told CNN, were “just shot down left and right” by Congress, the Secret Service, and the White House.

“Can’t afford it, nobody would work on it, Department of Interior wouldn’t approve it,” the source said.

Instead, all visitors would enter through trailer-like structures, their first view into the People’s House.

The Associated Press first reported the latest renovation plans by the administration.

Visitors would arrive just southeast of the White House to have their tickets and IDs checked and enter through a ramp and queue into a proposed 5,000-square-foot sunken plaza to minimize congested lines and wait times.

Civil War Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman’s monument, which stands at the center of the park, will be “protected in place,” the plans said.

“The permanent facility will strengthen campus security and enhance the overall visitor experience,” the White House’s plan says. A large portion of the proposed building is positioned below ground.

Before the demolition began, the visitor’s office and tour entrance were in the East Wing, where visitors walked through a wood-paneled entryway to the visitor lobby and proceeded along the East Colonnade. Now, visitors line up across Pennsylvania Avenue near Lafayette Park by the White House.

The White House said site preparations as early as August with a goal of opening the facility by July 2028, six months before the end of Trump’s second term.

While Trump said the ballroom project would be fully funded by private donations, the price has steadily climbed from $200 million to $300 million to now $400 million since he first announced it last July.

Approval for Trump’s ballroom was postponed after there were more than 32,000 comments from the public that were mostly against the construction.

CNN has reached out to the White House for comment.

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CNN’s Betsy Klein, Samantha Waldenberg and Kevin Liptak contributed to this report