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Trump dismisses all Commission of Fine Arts members
- Published: Oct 29, 2025, 5 PM
All members of the Commission of Fine Arts were removed Oct. 27 at the direction of President Trump in order for the chief executive to appoint his own panel favorable to his causes, most notably the razing of the East Wing of the White House to accommodate a $300 million, privately funded 90,000 square-foot ballroom set to fill the cleared land.
President Trump also has plans for a triumphal arch to commemorate the nation’s 250th anniversary in 2026.
The Commission was chartered by Congress on May 17, 1910, during the presidential administration of Theodore Roosevelt.
The Commission of Fine Arts is composed of seven members with expertise in the arts. Appointed by the President, commission members serve four-year terms without compensation. The chairman and vice chairman are elected by the members.
The panel had one vacancy at the time the remaining members were removed. President Trump’s architectural plans for the ballroom were developed without having been presented to the CFA for its scrutiny as required by law.
The CFA was also not consulted concerning the razing of the East Wing of the White House to accommodate the ballroom.
Since the CFA is funded through congressional appropriations, the panel and its support staff have been incapacitated by the federal government shutdown.
Storied legacy
According to the CFA’s website at www.cfa.gov, “The Commission of Fine Arts is an independent federal agency charged with giving expert advice to the President, the Congress and the federal and District of Columbia governments on matters of design and aesthetics, as they affect the federal interest and preserve the dignity of the nation’s capital.
“The Commission is composed of seven presidentially appointed experts in relevant disciplines including art, architecture, landscape architecture, and urban design.
“The Commission reviews designs proposed for memorials, coins, medals, and new or renovated government buildings, as well as privately owned properties in certain areas of Washington under the Shipstead-Luce and Old Georgetown Acts. [The CFA was assigned the responsibility of reviewing coin and medal designs in 1921. President Warren G. Harding added this duty in Executive Order 3524, signed on July 28, 1921. The CFA was unable to hold its Oct. 16 meeting at which proposed designs for the 2027-W American Liberty, High Relief $100 gold coin and companion silver medal were to be considered. The designs were reviewed by the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee at their Oct. 21 teleconference.]
In addition, the Commission supports a variety of arts institutions in Washington, D.C., through the National Capital Arts and Cultural Affairs (NCACA) program.
“Through its unique work as the only federal commission dedicated to design review and aesthetic excellence, the Commission of Fine Arts serves the American people, international visitors, and those who live and work in the nation’s capital, contributing to the beauty and dignity of this international symbol of American democracy.”
The CFA members removed, all appointees of President Joe Biden, are:
* Hazel Ruth Edwards, vice chair, appointed June 9, 2021, an educator and planner whose career combines place-based research with planning and urban design practice and teaching
* Bruce Redman Becker, appointed May 13, 2024, president of Becker + Becker, an integrated sustainable architecture and development firm in Westport, Connecticut
* Peter D. Cook, appointed June 9, 2021, an architect based in Washington, D.C., where he is currently a design principal at HGA Architects & Engineers
* Lisa E. Delplace, appointed April 7, 2022, a director and CEO emeritus of the Washington, D.C.-based landscape architecture firm Oehme, van Sweden | OvS
* William J. Lenihan, appointed May 13, 2024, a principal and partner of Tevebaugh Architecture, a planning and design services firm based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Wilmington, Delaware
* Justin Garrett Moore, appointed June 9, 2021, a transdisciplinary designer and urbanist. He serves as the program officer for the Humanities in Place program at the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
Numismatic review
Coin and medal design review has been the primary mission of the Citizerns Coinage Advisory Committee since 2003.
Funding for the CCAC is derived from the U.S. Mint’s Public Enterprise Fund, established in 1996 through Mint reform legislation. The PEF is supported with revenue from the Mint’s sales of circulating coinage, bullion coins, and numismatic products incoluding medals and commemorative coinage.
The same PEF account also finances all of the Mint’s operations.
While the CFA’s operations have been put on hold until the government shutdown is rectified, those of the CCAC and Mint have continued uninterrupted.
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Community Comments
Trump dismisses all Commission of Fine Arts members
- Published: Oct 29, 2025, 5 PM
All members of the Commission of Fine Arts were removed Oct. 27 at the direction of President Trump in order for the chief executive to appoint his own panel favorable to his causes, most notably the razing of the East Wing of the White House to accommodate a $300 million, privately funded 90,000 square-foot ballroom set to fill the cleared land.
President Trump also has plans for a triumphal arch to commemorate the nation’s 250th anniversary in 2026.
The Commission was chartered by Congress on May 17, 1910, during the presidential administration of Theodore Roosevelt.
The Commission of Fine Arts is composed of seven members with expertise in the arts. Appointed by the President, commission members serve four-year terms without compensation. The chairman and vice chairman are elected by the members.
The panel had one vacancy at the time the remaining members were removed. President Trump’s architectural plans for the ballroom were developed without having been presented to the CFA for its scrutiny as required by law.
The CFA was also not consulted concerning the razing of the East Wing of the White House to accommodate the ballroom.
Since the CFA is funded through congressional appropriations, the panel and its support staff have been incapacitated by the federal government shutdown.
Storied legacy
According to the CFA’s website at www.cfa.gov, “The Commission of Fine Arts is an independent federal agency charged with giving expert advice to the President, the Congress and the federal and District of Columbia governments on matters of design and aesthetics, as they affect the federal interest and preserve the dignity of the nation’s capital.
“The Commission is composed of seven presidentially appointed experts in relevant disciplines including art, architecture, landscape architecture, and urban design.
“The Commission reviews designs proposed for memorials, coins, medals, and new or renovated government buildings, as well as privately owned properties in certain areas of Washington under the Shipstead-Luce and Old Georgetown Acts. [The CFA was assigned the responsibility of reviewing coin and medal designs in 1921. President Warren G. Harding added this duty in Executive Order 3524, signed on July 28, 1921. The CFA was unable to hold its Oct. 16 meeting at which proposed designs for the 2027-W American Liberty, High Relief $100 gold coin and companion silver medal were to be considered. The designs were reviewed by the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee at their Oct. 21 teleconference.]
In addition, the Commission supports a variety of arts institutions in Washington, D.C., through the National Capital Arts and Cultural Affairs (NCACA) program.
“Through its unique work as the only federal commission dedicated to design review and aesthetic excellence, the Commission of Fine Arts serves the American people, international visitors, and those who live and work in the nation’s capital, contributing to the beauty and dignity of this international symbol of American democracy.”
The CFA members removed, all appointees of President Joe Biden, are:
* Hazel Ruth Edwards, vice chair, appointed June 9, 2021, an educator and planner whose career combines place-based research with planning and urban design practice and teaching
* Bruce Redman Becker, appointed May 13, 2024, president of Becker + Becker, an integrated sustainable architecture and development firm in Westport, Connecticut
* Peter D. Cook, appointed June 9, 2021, an architect based in Washington, D.C., where he is currently a design principal at HGA Architects & Engineers
* Lisa E. Delplace, appointed April 7, 2022, a director and CEO emeritus of the Washington, D.C.-based landscape architecture firm Oehme, van Sweden | OvS
* William J. Lenihan, appointed May 13, 2024, a principal and partner of Tevebaugh Architecture, a planning and design services firm based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Wilmington, Delaware
* Justin Garrett Moore, appointed June 9, 2021, a transdisciplinary designer and urbanist. He serves as the program officer for the Humanities in Place program at the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
Numismatic review
Coin and medal design review has been the primary mission of the Citizerns Coinage Advisory Committee since 2003.
Funding for the CCAC is derived from the U.S. Mint’s Public Enterprise Fund, established in 1996 through Mint reform legislation. The PEF is supported with revenue from the Mint’s sales of circulating coinage, bullion coins, and numismatic products incoluding medals and commemorative coinage.
The same PEF account also finances all of the Mint’s operations.
While the CFA’s operations have been put on hold until the government shutdown is rectified, those of the CCAC and Mint have continued uninterrupted.
Connect with Coin World:
Sign up for our free eNewsletter
Access our Dealer Directory
Like us on Facebook
Follow us on X (Twitter)
Whether you’re a current subscriber or new, you can take advantage of the best offers on magazine subscriptions available in digital, print or both! Whether you want your issue every week or every month, there’s a subscription to meet your needs.