The US Commission of Fine Arts, an independent federal agency made up of Donald Trump appointees, approved the design of the president’s planned White House ballroom after a single hearing, despite ongoing litigation and public outcry.
While the presentation on Thursday was limited in scope to a design concept for the new addition, the agency made the decision to vote to approve it in full as a final plan, which means that no further hearings on the ballroom will take place. Trump thanked the panel in a social media postBloomberg Terminal after the decision. He has said the project will cost as much as $400 million, with funding coming from outside donors.