Trump removes Fine Arts panel ahead of White House ballroom, arch plans

Their termination comes as the White House gears up for several Trump construction projects, including his planned US$300 million ($518m) White House ballroom, and seeks to install allies on key review boards.

A White House official confirmed that the Commission of Fine Arts members had been terminated.

“We are preparing to appoint a new slate of members to the commission that are more aligned with President Trump’s ‘America First’ policies,” said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Bruce Becker, an architect who was appointed to the commission last year and was terminated today, praised its work.

The agency “plays an important role in shaping the way the public experiences our nation’s capital and the historic buildings it contains, which serve as symbols of our democracy”.

The White House in July also fired Biden appointees from the National Capital Planning Commission, another urban-planning agency that is required to review external construction projects at the White House.

Trump allies now make up a majority of the 12-member board, including its chairman, Trump staff secretary Will Scharf.

The White House has said it will soon send Trump’s ballroom plans to the National Capital Planning Commission, which will decide whether to approve the new building.

White House officials previously declined to comment on whether they planned to also send the plans to the Commission of Fine Arts, and whether approval from that agency was necessary for the ballroom project to move forward.

An official who spoke on the condition of anonymity said that “all necessary agencies and entities who need to review the project” were in the process of being consulted.

The Commission of Fine Arts has traditionally reviewed and voted on major projects at the White House, such as approving a tennis pavilion project overseen by first lady Melania Trump in 2019.

Trump may sidestep its review of his ballroom, citing historical precedent and his desire to rush its construction, architectural experts said.

During a 1947 battle with President Harry Truman, who sought to add a balcony to the White House, CFA’s then-chairman said the panel could serve only in an “advisory” role to the president. Truman ultimately proceeded with his plans, setting an example that Trump appears ready to follow.

White House officials, however, are considering building the arch on federal land that does not qualify for the same exemptions as the White House.

As a result, some of the fired commissioners had expected to play a role in reviewing that design.

They also said they had expected to review Trump’s planned ballroom, expressing concern that the President abruptly tore down the White House’s East Wing last week without undergoing a review by their commission.

“Were it not for today’s terminations, CFA would look forward to a full review of the plans for the new structure that will replace the East Wing,” Becker said.

Biden in 2021 fired Trump appointees from the Commission of Fine Arts and the National Capital Planning Commission, with Biden administration officials at the time defending the moves as an effort to diversify the panels.

It was the first time in the commissions’ history that a president had forced out sitting members, drawing some criticism from art and architecture experts that Biden was politicising its work.

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