The head of a federal panel that oversees construction in Washington announced this week that the White House does not need permission to construct a $200 million ballroom.
Will Scharf, chair of the National Capital Planning Commission, an executive branch agency that provides planning for construction in the national capital region, said Thursday in a meeting that “this commission does not have jurisdiction — and it has long denied that it has jurisdiction — over demolition and site preparation work for federal buildings on federal property.”
“What we deal with is essentially construction — vertical build,” he said. “I know that the president thinks very highly of this commission, and I’m excited for us to play a role in the ballroom project when the time is appropriate for us to do so.”
According to the Office of Management and Budget, federal agencies should consult the commission when conducting renovations.
Scharf, who also serves as White House staff secretary, said that a recent Washington Post article about the commission was “deceiving,” adding that “the upshot of this article was that something was wrong with the ballroom project.”
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in July when announcing the project that work was expected to begin in September and be finished before President Donald Trump leaves office in January 2029.
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