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. 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. Now, visitors line up across Pennsylvania Avenue near Lafayette Park by the White House. CNN has reached out to the White House for comment.

Source: CNN March 14, 2026 22:02 UTC