All six members of the Commission of Fine Arts, a federal agency poised to review President Donald Trump’s construction projects including his planned triumphal arch and the White House ballroom that will replace the historic East Wing have been fired.
Commissioners received an email on Tuesday, October 28, reviewed by the Washington Post, that reads: “On behalf of President Donald J. Trump, I am writing to inform you that your position as a member of the Commission of Fine Arts is terminated, effective immediately.”
The six commissioners were appointed under former President Joe Biden to four year terms, with several expected to continue through 2028. The firing is not entirely unprecedented, however, as Biden had previously fired Trump appointees from the Commission of Fine Arts and the National Capital Planning Commission in 2021.
Architect Bruce Becker, who was appointed to the commission last year and terminated on Tuesday, said in an interview with the Washington Post that the commission “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.” Adding, “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.”
The Commission of Fine Arts has historically reviewed and voted on major projects at the White House. Established by Congress more than a century ago, the agency typically includes architects and urban planners, who offer advice to the president, Congress, and local government, on the designs of construction projects in the region, including government buildings, monuments, and memorials.
It has been operating without a leader since architect Billie Tsien, who had chaired the commission since 2021, resigned earlier this year ahead of the expiration of her term in May. (Her firm, Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects, are the designers of the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago, which will open next year.)
Last week, a joint letter sent by the National Trust for Historic Preservation to the National Capital Planning Commission, National Park Service, and Commission of Fine Arts to the White House, outlined concerns about the size of Trump’s planned ballroom.
In July, the White House also fired Biden–appointed officials from the National Capital Planning Commission, another urban-planning agency required to review construction projects, and replaced them with his own allies who now make up a majority of the 12 board members. Trump staff secretary Will Scharf, for instance, is now its sitting chairman.
CBS News previously reported that one White House official said construction plans for the new ballroom would be submitted to the National Capital Planning Commission “at the appropriate time,” with another quoted as saying, “The scope and size of the project has always been subject to vary as the process developed.” Nothing has been submitted to date, but it will decide whether or not to approve the new addition to the White House.