Overview
- The Justice Department, in a late Monday filing, asked U.S. District Judge Richard Leon to dissolve his order blocking above-ground work, citing the White House Correspondents’ Dinner shooting as evidence of urgent security needs.
- Senate Republicans led by Lindsey Graham unveiled a bill Monday to authorize about $400 million for the project using customs fees, though sponsors acknowledge it would need 60 votes in the Senate.
- Other Republicans, including Rand Paul and Rick Scott, opposed using taxpayer money and pushed to keep private funding, and Trump on Tuesday signaled support for Paul’s no-public-funds approach.
- The National Trust for Historic Preservation refused DOJ’s request to drop its suit, and Leon’s earlier ruling said the ballroom needs explicit congressional authorization while allowing below-ground security work to continue.
- Prosecutors charged 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen after Saturday’s shooting at the Washington Hilton, an incident the White House and GOP backers now point to in arguing for a secure large-event space on White House grounds.