Trump Axes Entire Biden-Appointed Design Commission in Push to Clear Way for Construction Projects
(AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
President Donald Trump fired all six Biden-appointed members of the Commission of Fine Arts, the federal body that reviews presidential construction projects in Washington D.C., and will replace them with a “new slate” of members “more aligned” with his “America First Policies.”
The move is set to clear the path for his proposed “triumphal arch” on the Potomac River and a new ballroom on the White House grounds.
A White House official confirmed the firings to NBC News, saying the administration is “preparing to appoint a new slate of members to the commission that are more aligned with President Trump’s America First Policies.”
According to the Washington Post, the officials were informed by email on Tuesday that they were “terminated, effective immediately.”
The firings come just days after the East Wing’s demolition, part of Trump’s plan to erect a $300 million grand ballroom on the site. The National Trust for Historic Preservation had urged the administration to halt work until the plans were reviewed by the Commission of Fine Arts (CFA) and the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC), both required to assess major federal projects in the capital.
The White House has said the ballroom and arch proposals will go to the NCPC “soon, when it is time.” Trump already appointed three new members to that board in July, including aide William Scharf, now its chair.
The CFA, founded in 1910 to preserve “the dignity of the nation’s capital,” has occasionally clashed with presidents over White House aesthetics. In 1947, President Harry Truman replaced its members to push through construction of the South Portico balcony. Trump appears poised to do the same, this time on a far grander scale.
