Overview
- An interim National Park Service report found lead, chromium, and other toxic metals in East Wing demolition soil moved to the public East Potomac Golf Links two miles from the White House.
- By April, the Park Service had hauled more than 2,000 truckloads of excavated soil to the course, and the Interior Department said repeated tests met legal standards.
- Senate Republicans, in a move this week, tucked up to $1 billion for Secret Service security work tied to the East Wing Modernization Project into a broader immigration enforcement bill that forbids spending on non‑security features.
- Preservation lawsuits continue, and a federal judge barred removal of more than 10 trees at the golf course without notice as other construction remains limited pending further authorization.
- The White House casts the 90,000‑square‑foot ballroom and its hardened systems as a security need after the Correspondents’ Dinner shooting, but polls show majority opposition and some Republicans warn the price tag risks public backlash.