White House now subject to same historic preservation rules as other federal buildings
H.R. 6761 — People’s White House Historic Preservation Act · Filed by Jamie Raskin (D-MD) · 32 cosponsors · Introduced Dec 16, 2025 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This bill amends federal historic preservation law to subject the White House to the same National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) requirements that apply to other federally owned historic properties. Currently, Section 307104 of title 54 exempts the White House from certain NHPA review and approval processes; this bill removes that exemption, requiring the White House to comply with standard historic preservation oversight when undertaking alterations or maintenance.
Why we flagged it
The bill's operative mechanism is to extend existing federal historic preservation law to a property previously exempted. It is a transparency and accountability measure, not a substantive change to preservation standards themselves.
What the text implies
- Subjects White House renovation and maintenance decisions to public comment periods and Advisory Council on Historic Preservation review, potentially slowing or complicating executive branch facility management.
- Creates a formal record of White House alterations and their justification under NHPA standards, increasing transparency into executive branch decisions on the building's use and appearance.
- May require consultation with preservation experts and the public before interior or exterior changes, limiting unilateral executive discretion over the residence.
Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.
Who it affects
The bill extends democratic accountability and public transparency to White House alterations by requiring compliance with established historic preservation procedures. Citizens and preservation advocates gain a formal voice in decisions affecting one of the nation's most significant historic properties, and the public record becomes more complete.
Named in the bill
White House, National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA), Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, 54 U.S.C. § 307104, House Committee on Natural Resources
Where it stands
32 cosponsors: 32 Democrats.
- Dec 16, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
- Dec 16, 2025 — Referred to House Committee on Natural Resources · Congress.gov: “Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources”
Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.
How this was measured
Analysis — Quorum's AI read the bill text published by Congress.gov (273 characters) on Sep 27, 2026. Section numbers in the findings refer to that text, linked below; transparency and hidden-provision scores are compared against the median of 15,316 analysed bills.
Status and sponsors — Congress.gov's bill record — actions, committee referrals and cosponsors — loaded nightly. The timeline shows status changes, not every procedural action.
As of — page rendered 2026-09-27.
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