White House fires commission charged with advising the president on design as Trump pushes construction projects
By Samantha Waldenberg, CNN
(CNN) — The White House has fired all six members of the Commission of Fine Arts, an independent federal agency charged with advising the president, Congress and the city of Washington, DC, on “matters of design and aesthetics,” according to a source familiar with the matter.
The firings come as President Donald Trump has sought to impose his style on the nation’s capital through a slate of construction projects, including a planned triumphal arch, new White House ballroom, and paving over the Rose Garden.
The firings came via email from an adviser in the Presidential Personnel Office.
“On behalf of President Donald J. Trump, I am writing to inform you that your position as a member of the Commission on Fine Arts is terminated, effective immediately,” reads the email, which was reviewed by CNN.
The six members were appointed by former President Joe Biden to serve four-year terms. The commission was established by Congress in 1910 “to advise the federal government on matters pertaining to the arts and national symbols, and to guide the architectural development of Washington, D.C.,” according to its website.
The email received by commission members contains similar wording to those that dismissed Biden appointees on other boards and organizations this year, including the National Capital Planning Commission and the US Holocaust Memorial Council.
CNN has reached out to the full-time government employees who work at the Commission of Fine Arts and was informed via email that all staff are furloughed due to the government shutdown.
The Washington Post was first to report on the arts commission firings.
The firings come as Trump is overseeing a massive overhaul of the East Wing of the White House that includes a proposed 90,000-square-foot ballroom. Trump has estimated the ballroom will cost “about $300 million” and has said it will be funded by himself and donors.
It is not immediately clear that the Commission of Fine Arts would have any jurisdiction over the ballroom project. Administration officials determined the White House would need approval only from the National Capital Planning Commission, which oversees federal construction projects in Washington and its neighboring states, Virginia and Maryland, to proceed with the construction of the ballroom where the East Wing once stood. But officials said the commission has jurisdiction only when “vertical” construction begins, and does not oversee demolition.
Trump recently appointed White House staff secretary and loyalist Will Scharf to chair the National Capital Planning Commission, and tapped two other aides to serve on the body. Scharf said during a commission meeting last month that the body would eventually be involved in the project, but not until after the East Wing was demolished.
Certain laws and rules regarding building alterations appear not to apply to the White House. The Shipstead-Luce Act of 1930 requires that alterations to buildings in specific areas of the nation’s capital must be presented to the Commission of Fine Arts. The language, however, refers to buildings facing the White House and not the White House itself.
The planned ballroom is just one example of the president bringing his real estate developer roots to the capital. As CNN has previously reported, Trump is considering building a permanent arch in Washington, DC, as part of broader celebrations honoring the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in July. He also signed an executive order mandating that all federal buildings embrace classical architecture and discouraging brutalist-style buildings.
This story has been updated with additional information.
CNN’s Kevin Liptak and Kristen Holmes contributed to this report.
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