Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton introduced a bill to ban new fencing at the White House, Lafayette Square and nearby buildings.
WASHINGTON — New legislation could prevent more fencing around the popular park near the White House.
Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton introduced legislation that would prohibit additional fencing around the White House complex after the Trump administration proposed new barriers near Pennsylvania Avenue and Lafayette Square.
The bill would bar new fencing at the White House, Lafayette Square, the Ellipse, and the Eisenhower and Treasury buildings. The bill comes in response to a proposal to install fencing at the ends of Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest near the White House and around Lafayette Square.
Administration officials said the proposed fencing is intended to enhance security amid heightened threat levels and ongoing White House renovations.
New design plans call for additional fencing and landscaping near the White House complex, some of which could become permanent. Critics said the changes would block public views of the White House and restrict access to surrounding public spaces.
Norton said the White House is already protected by a 13-foot fence and argued that additional barriers are unnecessary. She said security can be maintained without limiting public access and called the open areas surrounding the White House an important symbol of democracy.
Norton also argued that additional fencing would further separate citizens from their government. She said security should be measured not only by reducing risk, but also by protecting “the freedoms and values that define our country.”
Norton said a nation confident in its ideals should remain “open to the people it serves.
Norton has previously introduced legislation to prohibit permanent fencing around the U.S. Capitol, the Supreme Court and Lafayette Square. She has also proposed creating a commission to study the balance between public access and security at federal properties.