Overview
- An ABC News–Washington Post–Ipsos poll published Thursday found 56% of Americans oppose replacing the East Wing with a ballroom and 28% support it, showing almost no change from October.
- Following Saturday’s shooting near the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, the White House and Republican senators renewed a security case for the venue and introduced proposals to authorize or fund roughly $400 million, with Sen. Lindsey Graham highlighting a planned Secret Service annex.
- U.S. District Judge Richard Leon on March 31 ordered a pause on above‑ground work for lack of congressional authorization, an appeals panel later issued an administrative stay that let some activity continue, and the Justice Department moved to dismiss the preservationists’ suit and asked to dissolve the order citing the shooting.
- The project has grown from a 650‑seat, $200 million plan to a venue described at up to about 1,000 seats and $400 million, and the White House released a partial donor list naming major tech and defense firms while allies now float taxpayer funding.
- Crews demolished the East Wing and dismantled the presidential bunker beneath it, displacing the first lady’s offices and leaving an active work site, while the National Trust for Historic Preservation says it will not drop its case.