What happens when a federal landmark is demolished to make way for a $400 million privately funded ballroom, all within a single four-year political cycle? We see more than just a construction project; we see administrative chrononormativity in action. The current construction of the Great Ballroom (the East Wing Modernization Project) is being rushed to completion by January 2029. By prioritizing this fast time of political legacies and corporate donors, the administration has bypassed the slow time required for legal oversight by evading the National Capital Planning Commission’s usual review. Accepting funds from Big Tech and defense giants like Alphabet and Lockheed Martin without a cooling-off period.
I am proposing a 10-year integrity block. If we cannot stop the influence of money in politics overnight, we can at least decouple it from the immediate political cycle. By barring donors from entering the room they funded for a decade, we disrupt the chrononormative expectation of immediate access for immediate payment. White House Ballroom Proposal Now Open for Public Comment
The National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) has opened public comments on the proposed 90,000-square-foot ballroom addition to the White House. Written comments are due March 4 at noon ET.