Construction crews began demolishing a section of the White House East Wing on October 20th, 2025, between 6:34 PM and 7:04 PM UTC, to commence construction of a ballroom project envisioned by President Donald Trump, as reported by The Washington Post. The demolition, which involved a backhoe tearing into the East Wing facade, marks the start of the long-planned project, according to reporting from The Washington Post shared via X by Jonathan Reports and DD Diamond. This development occurs as House Republicans have not revised their legislative calendar since July, having conducted only 20 days of business in the past 16 weeks. In related legislative activity, Jake Sherman posted on X that the House legislative calendar remains incomplete, with the period of October 27-30 still to be determined. This comes amid an ongoing federal government shutdown, now in its 20th day, with no resolution in sight. Previously, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass called for congressional hearings into alleged abuses by ICE and the administration's actions against cities, according to a statement posted on X by Congressman Robert Garcia on October 20th, 2025, between 6:04 PM and 6:34 PM UTC. Bass stated the hearings are necessary to document "this egregious moment in our history" and implement policies to prevent recurrence. Mayor Bass's call for hearings specifically targets Secretary Noem's actions, which she described as attempts "to terrorize U.S. citizens and immigrants in LA and across the country."
