Trump appoints new members to panel reviewing White House ballroom
Trump quietly makes changes to his White House ballroom project panel
- Donald Trump has appointed four new members to the Commission of Fine Arts, a federal panel tasked with reviewing his proposed 90,000-square-foot White House ballroom addition.
- The appointments were revealed in court papers as part of a lawsuit by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which aims to halt construction until the project receives approval from both the fine arts panel and a second federal commission.
- The proposed ballroom, which would permanently alter the White House's public facade, is estimated to cost $400m, and the East Wing has already been demolished to make space for it.
- The new appointees, including architect James McCrery, who previously led the ballroom project, provide the commission with a quorum, enabling it to meet and consider the “East Wing Modernization” project.
- Trump had previously dismissed six commissioners last fall, which had left the panel unable to convene for several months prior to these new appointments.