3:18Sightseers tour the iconic White House on July 17, 2025 in Washington, DC.Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images
The Trump administration plans to halt public White House tours because of upcoming building activity for a new ballroom, according to multiple congressional offices who spoke to ABC News.
Representatives or the official sites for several of those lawmakers say they were informed that the tours will cease in September and may remain on hold for an unspecified length of time.
Staffers cited differing explanations for the suspension, ranging from “construction work,” “substantial upgrades” to “building of the new White House ballroom.”
Every White House visit is arranged through one’s member of Congress or senator. Approximately 10,000 guests explored the mansion weekly under the Biden administration.
Tourists file past the White House on July 17, 2025 in Washington, DC.Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images
ABC News has contacted the White House for a response. While the Visit the White House webpage does not yet note a pause, it greets visitors with an “Announcement Regarding Upcoming Expansion” about the ballroom project slated to begin in September.
The site for Rep. Don Beyer, D-Va., states: “Unfortunately, the Trump administration has informed us that public White House tours will cease beginning in September to allow for construction. We regret any inconvenience to those who have requested visits during this period and will pass along new details once we have them.”
Rep. Eugene Vindman’s, D-Va., page says, “Starting September 1, 2025, the White House will embark on extensive renovations. Consequently, all tours are on hold indefinitely. Please visit the White House site to review its official statement. We sincerely regret any disruption this causes.”
Other Hill offices say they have received only vague answers when they sought clarification from the administration.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt displays designs for the forthcoming White House State Ballroom, which President Donald Trump intends to start building in September.Andrew Leyden/NurPhoto via AP
“We’ve received no firm guidance from the WH — no new dates have been released, and when we followed up they simply told us that ‘availability hasn’t been posted while they finalize the president’s calendar,'” one staffer noted.
Another office stated it contacted the White House after the Washington Post first reported the tour suspension; administration officials told its staffer that the break is “because work on the new White House ballroom requires it.”
Yet another aide said they learned that tours are not terminated at once but will end come September.
Crisp yellow-and-white striped umbrellas dot the freshly renovated Rose Garden at the White House in Washington, D.C., August 19, 2025.Doug Mills/Reuters
A White House contact “verified that we may still reserve tours through August, yet all September entries have been scrubbed. They pledged fresh details after Labor Day,” an aide told ABC News.
A different congressional team said it is holding off for an official notice from the visitor’s office on how to proceed with booking East Wing visits.
One office noted that among those whose September tours have been cancelled are “service members and their families who had secured visits intended to show loved ones the White House before reassignment outside the region.”
“They’re really frustrated,” the staffer added.
The Trump administration cancelled tours for roughly a month when the president took office again in January. Tours resumed in late February at the direction of First Lady Melania Trump.
ABC News’ Benjamin Siegel, Michelle Stoddart, and Caleigh Bartash contributed to this report.
Sourse: abcnews.go.com
