FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 7, 2026
PUBLIC HEALTH GROUP FILES FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT LAWSUIT SEEKING RECORDS ON PROTECTIONS AGAINST HAZARDOUS ASBESTOS DURING WHITE HOUSE EAST WING DEMOLITION
Lawsuit Follows Repeated Failure of Trump Administration to Document Compliance with Asbestos Abatement Regulations
The lawsuit names the National Park Service, the Department of the Interior, the U.S. Department of Labor, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Executive Office of the President as defendants for failing to respond to multiple FOIA requests seeking documents that must be disclosed to the public under federal law.
ADAO’s detailed complaint follows two months of unanswered requests for records that would demonstrate whether legally required asbestos inspections, abatement procedures, worker protections, air monitoring, and waste disposal safeguards were implemented and documented before and during demolition of the East Wing, an older structure likely to contain asbestos.
“Asbestos is a known carcinogen responsible for more than one million deaths from lung cancer, mesothelioma, and other asbestos-caused diseases over the past two decades alone. Federal agencies and public health authorities have long warned that demolishing older buildings containing legacy asbestos poses serious health risks to workers, bystanders, and nearby residents. Robust, documented safeguards are essential to prevent exposure and protect public health,” said Linda Reinstein, President and CEO of ADAO.
“The White House should set the national standard for compliance with environmental and worker-safety laws governing asbestos. It must be transparent with the public about the protections implemented during the demolition of one of America’s most historic public buildings,” Reinstein concluded.
A White House official stated that “Any hazardous material abatement was done in September. A very extensive abatement and remediation assessment was followed, complying with all applicable federal standards.” Despite these claims, however, the Administration has failed to provide any explanation of whether asbestos was found in the East Wing, how it was handled, removed, and disposed of, and what actions were taken to comply with EPA, OSHA, and District of Columbia regulations. Along with the questions of many reporters and members of Congress, ADAO’s FOIA requests and formal letters seeking this information have gone unanswered.
“FOIA was enacted by Congress so citizens are not kept in the dark about what their government is doing,” said Bob Sussman, a former senior EPA official and nationally recognized expert on environmental law and policy who is representing ADAO. “Agencies must do more than make claims about their compliance with health and safety requirements; they must also disclose and document the actions they are taking to follow the law and provide that documentation to the American people.”
Following their unanswered open letter to the White House in October, on November 5, 2025, ADAO submitted comprehensive FOIA requests to nine federal entities seeking records related to hazardous material identification and abatement at the East Wing. Except for a single response from the General Services Administration, stating it had no responsive records, agencies failed to produce documents or make required FOIA determinations within statutory deadlines.
The lawsuit seeks a court order compelling the release of all non-exempt records, including inspection reports, abatement permits, contractor licenses, air-monitoring data, waste shipment records, and inter-agency communications related to the demolition.
“Prevention is the only way to eliminate asbestos-caused diseases. When a high-profile demolition of a historic structure likely containing asbestos takes place, the public needs and deserves transparency about the precautions taken to protect public health. This responsibility is especially important for a national architectural treasure like the White House, but the precedent must apply to all public and private entities,” said Reinstein.
###
