President Donald Trump’s administration is weighing whether to install new fences near the White House in an effort to bolster protection and keep crowds further back from the grounds at certain times.
The Trump administration could build the new fences where Pennsylvania Avenue intersects 15th and 17th streets, The Washington Post reports. The White House and the Secret Service would be able to close these fences if they determine there’s a security threat.
A White House official said there are ongoing discussions about how to make the White House as safe as possible, but noted that nothing is confirmed and that any potential projects will go through the necessary review process.
In the past, Secret Service officials have suggested adding more permanent fencing around the White House, but were met with pushback and concerns that it could be perceived as limiting the public’s access to the executive mansion, The Washington Post’s sources said. Security officials have also relied on temporary fencing to shut down the surrounding area when needed.
The Independent has contacted the White House for comment.
If the project moves forward, it would mark yet another example of Trump’s efforts to reshape the White House during his second term. The president has demolished the East Wing to make room for his new ballroom, paved over the Rose Garden and filled the Oval Office with gilded decor.
On Thursday, new tarps went over the North Portico to renovate the columns that have become a White House staple.
The Trump administration is also planning to install permanent fencing around Lafayette Square, which is just across the street from the White House, The Washington Post reported last month. That fencing would allow security officials to shut down the park if needed.
The Secret Service confirmed the project, and a White House official said it still needs to go through approval processes, according to the newspaper.
Some have expressed free speech concerns about fencing off Lafayette Square, where hundreds of protests are held every year, according to the White House Historical Association. Eleanor Holmes Norton, the nonvoting delegate representing Washington, D.C., in the House, even introduced a bill that would prohibit permanent fencing in the park.
“Lafayette Square has long welcomed First Amendment demonstrations, vigils and public gatherings. It serves as a place where Americans can peacefully assemble within sight of the White House and engage directly in a democratic tradition,” Norton said in a statement last week.
“The openness of Lafayette Square and our democracy is our strength, not a security weakness that needs to be fenced off. Permanent fencing at Lafayette Square would send the wrong message to the nation and the world by continuing to transform our democracy from one that is accessible and of the people to one that is exclusive and fearful of its own citizens,” she added.
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