he found a loophole to get what he wanted rather than go through the normal channels of checks and balances... what a shocker eh?
What does the law say?
Trump's renovation appears to be the biggest in decades, but the president of the US does have the power to make those changes.
And he is not the first to reconstruct the White House. Over the years, a host of presidents have made renovations, from a bowling alley to an indoor swimming pool.
Under a law known as National Historic Preservation Act, federal agencies are required to examine the impact of any construction projects on historic properties. Specifically, Section 106 requires the agencies to undergo a review process, including getting input from the public.
Then-President Lyndon B Johnson signed the law in 1966, after a period of rapid development in the US - including through federally-funded infrastructure projects - as concerns grew that cultural and historical landmarks were being destroyed.
Why is the White House exempt?
According to Section 107 of the act, three buildings and their grounds are exempt from the Section 106 review process: the White House, the US Capitol and the US Supreme Court building.
In the past, however, typically presidents have voluntarily submitted their plans to the National Capital Planning Commission - which oversees federal building construction - before the construction project begins.
Trump officials have not yet done so, but say they plan to, though the renovation has already begun.
What's the precedent?
Priya Jain, the chair of a heritage preservation committee at the Society of Architectural Historians, told the BBC that the process laid out by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 was well established and would have been the "best practice" for Trump's East Wing renovation.
These reviews - which can take years - involves discussions about programmatic requirements and potential alternatives.
The decades-old exemption that lets Trump reconstruct the...
The White House and several other buildings are exempt from the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966.
kinda like starting a war with Iran...
By
Crnr2Crnr ·
