Secret Service officials on Tuesday outlined major security modifications to the White House perimeter, including removing swords from statues and replacing temporary fencing with permanent access control measures.Their remarks came during a meeting of the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, which is tasked with “giving expert advice” to the federal government on “matters of design and aesthetics.” President Donald Trump stacked the committee with political loyalists who have overseen his centerpiece building projects, including the White House ballroom and Triumphal Arch.“Our goal is to get rid of lots of the different temporary fences and barriers that we have that we need to maintain control of different security events,” Andy Stohs, a Secret Service technical adviser, told the committee.
The Secret Service’s proposal would see the current piecemeal network of temporary fencing replaced with a permanent solution around Lafayette Square, which Stohs described as the White House’s “front yard.”
Workers remove graffiti from a statue in Lafayette Park left by demonstrators over the weekend demanding a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war, Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
