Trump Moves Forward With Controversial Ballroom Plans
President Donald Trump has appointed four new members to a key federal panel responsible for reviewing his ambitious plans to add a large ballroom to the White House. The move, revealed in court documents on Thursday, could allow the long-stalled Commission of Fine Arts to finally consider the controversial project.
New Appointments and Legal Challenges
The appointments are central to a lawsuit filed by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which is seeking to halt construction. The organisation argues the administration violated federal law by beginning work—including demolishing the East Wing—before the project was reviewed by the required independent commissions, Congress, and the public.
Among the new appointees is James McCrery, the architect who previously led the now $400m ballroom project until Trump replaced him late last year. The other new members are Mary Anne Carter of Tennessee, Roger Kimball of Connecticut, and Matthew Taylor of Washington, D.C.
These appointments would give the seven-member commission a quorum for the first time in months. The panel had been unable to function after Trump dismissed six commissioners last autumn and a seventh, the chair, resigned earlier.
Project Timeline and Funding
The White House has tentatively scheduled to formally present the so-called East Wing Modernization project to the commission on February 19 and March 19. According to court papers from deputy assistant to the president Heather Martin, the panel could complete its review at that time.
President Trump has long championed the construction of the proposed 90,000-square-foot (8,400-square-meter) addition, which would permanently alter the mansion’s public facade. The White House has indicated the project would be funded by private donations, including from Trump himself.
A second federal panel, the National Capital Planning Commission, heard an initial presentation about the ballroom at its meeting on January 8. The Commission of Fine Arts itself is now scheduled to meet on January 22, where the project is on the agenda.
