A demolition crew takes apart the facade of the East Wing of the White House, where U.S. President Donald Trump's proposed ballroom is being built, in Washington, D.C., U.S., October 21, 2025. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

By Maiya Keidan

(Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump's administration is replacing all six members of an independent federal agency that planned to review his building projects, including a new ballroom at the White House that critics have slammed.

"We are preparing to appoint a new slate of members to the commission that are more aligned with President Trump's America First Policies", a White House official told Reuters in an email.

The Commission of Fine Arts, made up of architects and urban planners, was established by Congress more than 100 years ago to provide advice on design in the construction of projects in the capital area.

The Washington Post reported earlier that the administration had sent letters to committee members dismissing them.

"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," a presidential personnel office staffer wrote on Tuesday in an email to one of the commissioners, which the Post said it reviewed.

A White House official, who spoke anonymously to the Post, confirmed that all six members, who had been appointed by former President Joe Biden, had been fired.

Construction began last week on Trump's White House ballroom addition, which is expected to cost upwards of $250 million and which is the first major change to the historic property in decades.

Critics, dismayed at the swift demolition of the entire East Wing of the White House, said a review should have taken place before construction began.

A separate panel, the National Capital Planning Commission, oversees federal construction in Washington. The White House said last week that plans had not yet been submitted to that commission but they would be soon.

Democratic Senator Adam Schiff and several other senators asked the White House on Tuesday to produce "complete accounting" on how the administration is funding the ballroom project. Trump, a former real estate developer, has said it would be paid for by himself and donors.

"The opaque nature of this scheme reinforces concern that President Trump is again selling presidential access to individuals or entities, including foreign nationals and corporate actors, with vested interests in federal action," Schiff wrote in a letter to White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, the Post reported on Wednesday.

(Reporting by Maiya KeidanEditing by Chizu Nomiyama and Frances Kerry)