Since U.S. President Donald Trump began his second term in January, numerous shakeups have occurred at federal agencies and commissions, and this trend has unfortunately continued. As first reported by The Washington Post, the administration has fired all members of the Commission of Fine Arts. This independent federal agency is responsible for reviewing “matters of design and aesthetics” in the nation’s capital.
The commission was set to review upcoming projects like President Trump’s planned triumphal arch and White House ballroom. The firing occurred on Tuesday, when members were sent an email that read, “On behalf of President Donald J. Trump, I am writing to inform you that your position as a member of the Commission of Fine Arts is terminated, effective immediately.”
Historically, the commission is comprised of seven presidentially appointed experts in art, architecture, urban planning, and landscape design. The CFA had been without a chair since earlier this year, when architect Billie Tsien resigned, anticipating that President Trump would not renew her appointment. The remaining six members of the commission, architects Bruce Redman Becker, Peter D Cook, William J Lenihan, landscape architect Lisa E Delplace, and urban planners Justin Garrett Moore and Hazel Ruth Edward, had been expecting to review plans for President Trump’s proposed triumphal arch, as it would sit on Federal Land.
The CFA, which was established by Congress in 1910, provides guidance on matters such as national memorials, coins, medals, and new or renovated government buildings. An official, who spoke with The Washington Post on the condition of anonymity, said that there were plans to appoint new members who are “more aligned with President Trump’s ‘America First’ policies.”
President Trump’s move is not unprecedented. In 2021, then-President Joe Biden drew criticism for removing four Trump appointees from the CFA, making him the first president to do so. At the time, President Biden justified the decision by saying he wanted to diversify the panel.
The CFA shakeup follows the July firing of President Biden’s appointed members of the National Capital Planning Commission, an urban planning agency that oversees building projects outside of the White House. Will Scharf, President Trump’s staff secretary, is now chairman of the 12-member board. Again, this is not without precedent, as President Biden previously fired Trump-appointed members of the commission, making these shakeups the latest unfortunate example of an independent commission being politicized.
Source: White House fires arts commission expected to review Trump construction projects; Trump fires remaining members of the Commission of Fine Arts
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