An unknown urban plannning committee led by allies of President Donald Trump is now in charge of the president's controversial $300 million East Wing ballroom, according to a report in the Washington Post.
The 12-member National Capital Planning Commission charged by Congress with overseeing federal construction projects, typically attracts little attention at its monthly meetings, the Post reports, most recently reviewing a military base’s veterinary treatment facility, a men’s shelter and changes to Washington’s downtown sports arena.
Now the 101-year-old committee is in charge of Trump's 90,000 square foot addition that led to the complete demolition of the historical White House wing.
The new panel, reports the Post, is led by Will Scharf, the White House staff secretary whom Trump appointed in July to lead the body, and includes a pair of other White House officials, James Blair and Stuart Levenbach.
Scharf replaced Teri Hawks Goodmann, whom President Joe Biden appointed to a six-year term leading the board in 2023.
Other members of the board include Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, Senator Rand Paul (R-KY), Rep. James Comer (R-KY), and Washington, D.C. mayor Muriel Bowser.
More recently, the commission became a "tool for Trump and his allies to pressure Federal Reserve Chair Jerome H. Powell, with Scharf and his fellow Trump appointees arguing that the renovation of the Fed headquarters was illegal because the final project included elements not approved by the commission," the Post reports.
Despite the new loyalists on the board, the Post says, "It is not yet clear whether the commission will approve Trump’s plans," adding that two members, speaking on the condition of anonymity to describe internal dynamics, told them "that Trump’s record of punishing people who challenge him could deter public debate about matters the panel considers, such as project design, preserving the city’s historic views and other aspects of urban planning."
Scharf said that Trump didn't need this planning board's permission to tear down the East Wing, but "agencies almost always wait to start demolition and construction until the commission approves their projects, including the two at the White House in the past decade," three current and former commissioners told The Post.
"Scharf, a lawyer; Blair, a longtime political aide and consultant; and Levenbach, a natural-resources expert — do not appear to have any previous expertise in architecture, urban planning or other related fields," the Post explains.
“I would say it’s definitely a more political set of appointees,” a commissioner said.
The Trump administration dismissed the blowback against the demolition as “manufactured outrage” from “unhinged leftists.”
The board has yet to address "whether a 90,000-square-foot space holding nearly 1,000 guests is needed," and according to one source, they may not answer that publicly.
“That is the conversation that hasn’t been had,” said the anonymous commissioner, adding that given the political climate, it’s unclear whether it is one that will be had publicly.
"What assurances does the country have that he won’t continue to demolish more of the White House,” Goodmann said. “The public trust continues to be eroded by this President and his unprecedented actions.”