White House fires board that reviews presidential construction projects in Washington

The firing of fired all six members of the Commission of Fine Arts comes as Trump plans to build a triumphal arch along the Potomac River, and a new ballroom on the White House grounds.

WASHINGTON — The White House on Tuesday fired all six members of the Commission of Fine Arts, an independent federal agency that would have reviewed President Donald Trump’s ballroom construction project, a White House official confirmed to NBC News.

The official said that the White House is “preparing to appoint a new slate of members to the commission that are more aligned with President Trump’s America First Policies” and that the six board members — all of whom were appointed by former President Joe Biden — were informed they were “terminated, effective immediately,” via a White House email.

The Washington Post first reported the firings.

The board is tasked with advising the president, Congress and the District of Columbia’s government “on matters of design and aesthetics, as they affect the federal interest and preserve the dignity of the nation’s capital,” the commission's website says.

The board members were dismissed shortly after Trump announced unveiled plans to build an arch along the Potomac River echoing the design of France’s Arc de Triomphe and a new ballroom where the White House’s East Wing stood until just days ago.