Federal panel to review Trump's Lafayette Park fence plan

President Trump's proposal to build a permanent fence around Lafayette Park near the White House is set for review Thursday by the National Capital Planning Commission, a federal panel that has previously approved his other major Washington projects. The commission will also discuss a proposed underground security screening center for White House visitors, though no votes are expected on either item. The administration argues the projects would replace temporary security structures, citing multiple assassination attempts on Trump and a May shooting near a White House checkpoint. The fencing proposal, detailed in a 79-page plan, would enclose the 8-acre park with larger gates at the north and south entrances, marking a permanent change to grounds that last had fencing in the late 1800s. The visitor center, targeted for completion by July 2028, would replace temporary tents and has been moved to the park's western edge.