The White House, Tuesday, fired all six members of a commission that would have reviewed several of President Donald Trump’s construction projects, including the new White House ballroom and the Arc de Triomphe-style monument.
In an email to the six members of the Commission of Fine Arts, who were all appointed by former President Joe Biden, officials told them they were “terminated, effective immediately,” according to the Washington Post.
The commission is tasked with giving expert advice to the president, Congress and D.C. government on design and aesthetic matters. They review designs for memorials, coins, medals, and new or renovated buildings. However, the White House has said permission from the Commission of Fine Arts is not required to move forward with the $300 million ballroom construction, unlike permission from the National Capital Planning Commission.
A White House official confirmed the firing and said in a statement that 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.”
In July, the White House also fired Biden appointees on the National Capital Planning Commission, the agency required to review construction projects in the nation’s capital. That commission is now comprised mostly of Trump loyalists.
The administration is expected to send Trump’s White House ballroom plans to the National Capital Planning Commission in the near future. However, it’s unclear if they plan to send those plans to the Commission of Fine Arts or if it is legally required.
The Commission of Fine Arts, established in 1910, is composed of experts in art, architecture, urban design and other relevant disciplines.
Bruce Becker, an architect who sat on the commission, told the Washington Post the agency “plays an important role in shaping the way the public experiences our nation’s capital and the historic building it contains, which serves as symbols of our democracy.”
Trump has received backlash for tearing down the East Wing of the White House to make room for the new $300 million ballroom. The East Wing, largely considered a historic part of the White House, is where the First Lady and her staff are housed.
Administration officials, as well as the president, have defended their decision to tear down the East Wing, claiming they did not need permission for demolition and that it was necessary for structural reasons.
The ballroom is just one of the many projects the president has undertaken to make the White House more comfortable for himself.
Trump also paved over a portion of the White House Rose Garden to make room for a Mar-a-Lago-style patio, hung portraits of every president along the West Wing colonnade, exempting Biden and decorated the Oval Office in gilded details.
Earlier this month, the president pitched an idea for an Arc de Triomphe-style monument in Washington, D.C., called the “Independence Arch” in honor of the U.S.’s upcoming 250th anniversary celebration.
