1. United States
2. Wash.
3. Letter

I am writing to urge you to take immediate action to halt the White House ballroom project and restore the independent oversight processes that were bypassed in its approval. The U.S. Commission of Fine Arts voted on February 27th to approve President Trump's proposal to build a ballroom larger than the White House itself where the East Wing once stood. This approval came under deeply troubling circumstances. The commission, composed entirely of Trump appointees installed since January, rushed to a final vote despite the meeting being scheduled only to discuss design details. Chairman Rodney Mims Cook Jr. made a surprise motion for immediate final approval, and six of seven commissioners voted in favor. The seventh commissioner, James McCrery, abstained only because he was the initial architect on the project. This process represents a fundamental corruption of the checks and balances designed to protect our historic buildings and public interest. Construction began in October without the independent reviews, congressional approval, and public comment typically required even for minor modifications to historic buildings in Washington. The National Trust for Historic Preservation has filed a federal lawsuit to halt construction because proper procedures were ignored. The project faces another review at the National Capital Planning Commission on March 5th, but that commission is led by one of Trump's top White House aides. When every oversight body is staffed by appointees of the person seeking approval, the oversight becomes meaningless. I ask you to publicly oppose this project and demand that construction halt until proper independent review processes are restored. Congress must assert its authority over modifications to federal historic properties and ensure that no president can simply stack oversight commissions to rubber-stamp personal projects. The integrity of our institutions depends on genuine oversight, not the appearance of it.