Overview
- The White House notified all six commissioners by email that their positions were terminated effective immediately.
- The Commission of Fine Arts advises on design and aesthetics for the president, Congress and Washington, D.C., and its members had been appointed by President Joe Biden to four-year terms.
- Several commissioners’ terms extended beyond 2028, making the abrupt dismissals notable given the panel’s expected role on upcoming proposals.
- Trump is pursuing a triumphal arch for the nation’s 250th anniversary and a 90,000-square-foot White House ballroom, with costs described as about $300 million by the president and estimated at more than $350 million by other reports.
- Trump says the projects will rely on private funding, drawing ethics concerns, and architectural experts note the commission’s advisory status and a 1947 Truman example that could allow the work to proceed without its review.