Trump fires all members of independent agency tasked with reviewing his WH construction projects

WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump has fired all members of the Commission of Fine Arts, an independent agency tasked with reviewing his massive construction projects.

The agency is tasked with advising the POTUS, Congress, and local governments on "matters of design and aesthetics."

CFA members were appointed by Biden to serve four-year terms

An email sent to one of the commissioners and obtained by The Washington Post read, "On behalf of President Donald J Trump, I am writing to inform you that your position as a member of the Commission on Fine Arts is terminated, effective immediately."

The CFA comprises seven members, but one seat has been vacant. Commissioners are appointed by the POTUS and serve four-year terms without compensation. 

Former President Joe Biden appointed Peter Cook, Hazel Edwards, Justin Moore, and Billie Tsien in 2021, as well as Bruce Becker and William Lenihan in 2024.

Tsien resigned earlier this year as her term expired in May, and did not expect Trump to reappoint her, The Washington Post reported.

CFA reviews proposed designs for memorials, government buildings, coins, medals, and privately owned properties in parts of DC "as they affect the federal interest and preserve the dignity of the nation’s capital."

Experts say Trump may use Harry Truman's precedent to sidestep scrutiny

The White House earlier declined to comment on whether it intended to send the plans for Donald Trump’s ballroom to the CFA or if a green light from the commission was needed.

Meanwhile, an official told the outlet that "all necessary agencies and entities who need to review the project" were being consulted. 

Furthermore, architectural experts informed The Washington Post that the POTUS may use former President Harry Truman's precedent to sidestep CFA's scrutiny of his ballroom.

In 1947, the CFA said it could only serve in an "advisory" capacity to the president, which allowed Truman to proceed with adding a balcony to the White House.

The nonprofit National Trust for Historic Preservation wrote a letter last week urging the Trump administration to stop the demolition of the 123-year-old East Wing until plans for the POTUS' new ballroom undergo "the legally required public review processes, including consultation and review by the National Capital Planning Commission and the Commission of Fine Arts."

The group wrote in the letter, "These processes provide a crucial opportunity for transparency and broad engagement—values that have guided preservation of the White House under every administration going back to the public competition in 1792 that produced the building’s original design."

Meanwhile, CFA member Becker expressed concern over the demolition of the East Wing without a review.

Becker told 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," and added that the commission also expected to play a role in reviewing the design for Trump’s triumphal arch project. 

However, the Republican leader seems to have geared up for a review of his construction projects by stacking the National Capital Planning Commission with his allies.

The board is led by White House staff secretary Will Scharf, and members include Cabinet secretaries Pete Hegseth and Doug Burgum, as well as Republican lawmakers Rand Paul and James Comer.