White House fires commission charged with advising the president on design as Trump pushes construction projects
The White House has fired all six members of the Commission on Fine Arts, an independent federal agency tasked with advising the president, Congress and the city of Washington, D.C., on “matters of design and aesthetics,” according to a source familiar with the matter.
The layoffs come as President Donald Trump seeks to impose his style on the nation’s capital through a series of policies. construction projectsa planned inclusion triumphal archThe new ballroom of the White House and the sidewalk of the Rose Garden.
The firings came via email from an advisor at the Presidential Personnel Office.
“On behalf of President Donald J. Trump, I am writing to inform you that your membership in the Commission on Fine Arts has been terminated, effective immediately,” the email reviewed by CNN reads.
The six members were appointed by former President Joe Biden to four-year terms. The commission was established by Congress in 1910 to “advise the federal government on matters relating to art and national symbols and to guide the architectural development of Washington, D.C.,” according to its website.
The email obtained by commissioners contains language similar to those that have ousted Biden appointees from other boards and agencies this year, including the National Capital Planning Commission and the National Capital Planning Commission. US Holocaust Memorial Council.
CNN reached out to full-time state employees at the Fine Arts Commission and received information via email that the entire staff had been furloughed due to the government shutdown.
Washington Post He was the first to report on the arts commission layoffs.
The layoffs come as Trump oversees major overhaul The East Wing of the White House is planned to include a 90,000-square-foot ballroom. Trump estimated the ballroom would cost “about $300 million” and said it would be financed by him. donors.
It remains to be seen whether the Fine Arts Commission will have any authority over the ballroom project. Management authorities determined The White House will only need approval from the National Capital Planning Commission, which oversees federal construction projects in Washington and neighboring states Virginia and Maryland, to proceed with construction of the ballroom where the East Wing once stood.. But officials said the commission only has jurisdiction when “vertical” construction begins and does not oversee demolition.
Trump recently tapped White House staff secretary and stalwart Will Scharf to chair the National Capital Planning Commission and tapped two other aides to serve on that board. Scharf said at a commission meeting last month that the body would eventually be included in the project, but that would not happen until the East Wing was demolished.
Some laws and rules regarding building alterations do not appear to apply to the White House. The Shipstead-Luce Act of 1930 requires that changes to buildings in certain areas of the nation’s capital be submitted to the Commission of Fine Arts. However, the language refers to buildings facing the White House, 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 previously reported, Trump is considering building a permanent arch in Washington, D.C., as part of celebrations commemorating the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in July. Room signed An executive order requiring all federal buildings to adopt 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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