Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland plans to introduce legislation Tuesday that would subject White House renovations like President Trump's ballroom project to the same reviews as other federal projects. Currently, the White House is exempt from certain oversight under the National Historic Preservation Act.
Raskin's bill, called the "People's White House Historic Preservation Act," would require White House renovations to undergo a so-called "Section 106 review," a pre-ground breaking assessment that addresses the impact of renovations on historic buildings and allows the public to weigh in.
The legislation comes three months after construction crews began work on a privately-financed, 90,000-square-foot ballroom addition that will cost about $300 million. A construction crane hangs over the site where the East Wing once stood. It was demolished in late October, even though President Trump had previously said the new construction would be "near it but not touching it — and pays total respect to the existing building."
Mr. Trump has reveled in how easy it's been to fast track the project. In October, Mr. Trump recounted being told, "Sir, this is the White House, you're the president of the United States, you can do anything you want."
"It's kings who treat public property as private property," Raskin, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, told CBS News in a phone interview. "It's not his house; it's our house. And if there is going to be construction and renovation expansion or changes, that should go through a regular public process."
The White House asserts Mr. Trump has "full legal authority to modernize, renovate, and beautify the White House."
Aside from renderings Mr. Trump has shown at various events, ballroom schematics have faced little formal scrutiny — but that may soon change.
In a court filing late Monday, the administration said consultations "will soon be underway" with the National Capital Planning Commission and the Commission of Fine Arts, two independent advisory boards overseeing federal projects in the Washington area. The administration added that it was not legally bound to confer with either board and that above-ground ballroom construction would begin in April at the earliest.
Raskin's bill would mandate consultations with both commissions prior to ground breaking.
At its monthly meeting in early December, NCPC chairman Will Scharf, who is also a White House staffer, said the White House was not required to submit demolition plans because the commission only oversees new construction.
"We simply do not have jurisdiction over demolition and site preparation work; that what we're really concerned about here is visible architecture — is above-ground build," Scharf said, adding that NCPC would play a "constructive role" when the time comes.
File: Demolition of East Wing of White House, during construction on the new ballroom extension of the White House in Washington, DC, on Dec. 9, 2025.
Aaron Schwartz / Bloomberg via Getty Images
Raskin argues that leveling the East Wing without a review process was a violation of destruction of federal property laws, though he acknowledges the president cannot be prosecuted under those statutes.
Currently, Raskin's legislation has 27 Democratic co-sponsors. With Republicans in control of the House, the measure faces long odds.
"I hope that there are enough champions of the public-private distinction in the Republican caucus that we can bring some over," Raskin said.
Last week, National Trust for Historic Preservation filed a lawsuit seeking to halt ballroom construction. "No president is legally allowed to tear down portions of the White House without any review whatsoever — not President Trump, not President Biden, not anyone else," the Trust's suit said. "And no president is legally allowed to construct a ballroom on public property without giving the public the opportunity to weigh in."
In response, the administration said the Trust's complaint was moot "because the demolition has already occurred and cannot be undone."
An initial hearing in the case is scheduled for Tuesday afternoon in Washington.