Sponsor
Eleanor Holmes Norton
Representative · D-DC
Representative · D-DC
The bill preserves public access, sightlines, and avoids new permanent fence spending near the White House, but at the cost of limiting the ability to install permanent security upgrades, potentially raising long-term costs and complicating intergovernmental security planning.
Residents, visitors, and daily commuters near the White House keep open streetscapes and pedestrian access because the bill prevents installation of permanent new barriers.
The bill preserves public sightlines and historic public access around the White House by limiting long-term hardening of the perimeter.
It prevents new capital spending on permanent fencing near the White House, reducing immediate taxpayer or government outlays.
Law enforcement and the Secret Service are constrained from using new funding to add permanent barriers, which may limit long-term security upgrades around the White House.
Agencies may be forced to rely on temporary security measures that can be more expensive over time or to forgo desirable permanent improvements, increasing operational costs and residual risk.
The restriction could complicate coordination with state or local governments that want to improve perimeter security, limiting local flexibility on long-term projects.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Bans use of federal, state, foreign, or private funds to install new permanent fencing around a defined White House perimeter, while allowing repairs of existing fencing.
Official title: To prohibit the use of Federal, State, foreign, or private funds to install permanent fencing around the White House complex.
Introduced July 14, 2026 by Eleanor Holmes Norton · Last progress July 14, 2026
Prohibits the use of any federal, state, foreign, or private funds to install new permanent fencing around the White House complex defined by specific streets in Washington, D.C. The law permits repair or replacement of fencing that was in place on the date the law takes effect and clarifies that "State" includes U.S. states, D.C., territories, possessions, and political subdivisions. The measure only addresses funding and installation of permanent fencing within the defined perimeter; it does not bar repairs of existing fencing or address other security measures or temporary barriers.