Federal commission approves construction plans for White House visitor screening center

A federal planning body has cleared the way for a permanent security checkpoint for people visiting the White House. On Thursday, every member of the National Capital Planning Commission backed the final construction plans for the White House Visitor Screening Facility, which NBC News describes as the least contentious piece of President Donald Trump's broader effort to remake the executive grounds and surrounding property. It has drawn support from both parties.

The building will go up in Sherman Park, off 15th Street. Guests will enter underground for screening and come out near the East Wing, where Trump's disputed ballroom is rising. Urban planner Lee Webb told the panel the interior will be a flexible open space where the Secret Service can set up fixed screening equipment, with room for 700 people waiting indoors during large events. Today, visitors are processed in temporary trailers and tents that the Secret Service has said do not meet its security requirements.

Commission Chairman Mark Paoletta, a Trump appointee, voiced enthusiasm for the project. The vote included members named by Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser, a Democrat. The same commission approved the 90,000-square-foot ballroom in April.

Summarized by PolitiKool from NBC News’s reporting. Read the full story at NBC News →