The White House has dismissed all six members of the Commission of Fine Arts, the century-old independent federal agency tasked with advising the president and others on the construction of government buildings, monuments, and memorials in the capital. The commission, which is typically staffed by architects and urban planners, had anticipated that it would review the plans for the ballroom President Trump intends to add to the White House. "We are preparing to appoint a new slate of members to the commission that are more aligned with President Trump's 'America First' policies," an unnamed White House official told the Washington Post, which first reported the news.
The Post reports President Biden had appointed the outgoing commissioners to four-year terms, some of which would have lasted through 2028. But it was Biden, not Trump, who became the first president to ever fire sitting members: In 2021 he booted Trump appointees from the Commission of Fine Arts, as well as from the National Capital Planning Commission, another key body reviewing federal construction. Biden administration officials at the time said the intention was to mix up the makeup of the panels. Trump in July removed Biden appointees from the National Capital Planning Commission.
NPR reports that since Congress established the Commission of Fine Arts in 1910, its members have advised on plans for everything "from Arlington National Cemetery to [the] Vietnam Veterans Memorial." CNN adds, however, that it's not entirely clear whether the Commission of Fine Arts would get a say in the ballroom project. The Shipstead-Luce Act of 1930 requires the panel review plans for changes to buildings in Washington, DC, but it refers to buildings facing the White House rather than the White House itself. Fired member Bruce Becker apparently expected a review, however. He tells the Post, "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."
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