National Security Concerns Highlighted in U.S. Healthcare Industry and White House Ballroom Project
Chad Wolf, former DHS acting secretary under Trump, has warned about China's infiltration of U.S. healthcare systems through Chinese-made medical devices upon which Americans rely. The Protecting America Initiative (PAI) launched a campaign to highlight this threat. The FDA and CISA have warned of a backdoor found in a widely used patient monitoring device that could download remote files and transmit data to an IP address linked to a Chinese university. In June, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier sued Chinese medical device maker Contec over devices allegedly compromised with backdoors and questioned FDA approval claims. A Memorandum of Understanding was signed by four state attorneys general and FCC Chair Brendan Carr to enhance protections against Chinese infiltration of U.S. communications equipment and services. According to a 2019 NIH estimate, 9.2% of U.S.-imported pharmaceuticals and medical equipment came from China, which supplies both raw materials and performs final assembly; reliance may be understated and poses national-security implications. The Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) asserts that China has exploited this U.S. dependence, potentially risking patient care and safety.
In a separate matter, the Trump administration defended its White House ballroom project as a national security concern. The administration argues that pausing the ballroom project would impair obligations to protect the president, citing a Secret Service declaration that halting work would prevent meeting necessary safety and security requirements. The East Wing was demolished in October 2025 and below-ground work is underway; stopping now would leave essential security measures incomplete. This defense responds to a lawsuit filed by the National Trust for Historic Preservation in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The National Trust named the National Park Service and the Department of the Interior as defendants, seeking to pause the project to avoid irreversible changes and ensure public oversight. They advocate submitting the project to the National Capital Planning Commission and opening it to public comment to protect iconic White House features and secure a lasting legacy. The plan includes constructing a 90,000-square-foot state ballroom, with projected costs from $200 million to at least $300 million; funding is partially private, with Trump stating it would be "100% by me and some friends of mine." The administration states that key regulatory reviews are forthcoming and plans to submit draft designs to the National Capital Planning Commission and the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts in the coming weeks. The National Trust contends the ballroom’s scale would dwarf the Executive Residence and would represent the most significant exterior change in over 80 years, citing the Society of Architectural Historians. The lawsuit argues that pausing the project is premature because above-grade construction is not scheduled to begin until April 2026.
