Panel reviewing Trump’s White House ballroom project gets an earful from the public

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal panel reviewing President Donald Trump’s plans to build a ballroom at the White House got an earful Thursday from members of the public. Most speakers said they opposed the project and criticized it as too big and unnecessary.

Only one of the 28 people who addressed the National Capital Planning Commission during the first two hours of public comment at its March meeting spoke in favor of the project.

“It’s ugly. It’s just ugly. It’s too much,” said Kye Rowan, who described herself as an “ordinary citizen” with no architectural background.

Other speakers asked the commission to properly deliberate before making a decision.

“I urge you to send this back to the drawing board,” said Diane Marlin, who recently retired as mayor of Urbana, Illinois. “Take the time to get this right.”

Concerns also were raised about Trump’s plan to pay the estimated $400 million construction cost with money donated by wealthy people and corporations, many of whom have business before the government. Will Scharf, the commission’s chairman who is also a top White House aide, noted that such concerns were beyond the panel’s scope.

“Let’s not kid ourselves. These donors aren’t doling out millions to bankroll the president’s pet project out of the goodness of their heart,” said Abigail Bellows, senior policy director for anti-corruption and accountability at Common Cause, a nonpartisan grassroots organization. “We all must ask: What do they expect in return?”

The lone voice in support of the project invoked the Republican president’s background in construction, saying Americans should be “thankful and blessed” he decided to build the ballroom.

“I think this is great that our president is giving us a gift, this incredible ballroom that is much needed, especially for his security and allowing him to have a place that he can have people come together and have it safe,” said Tara Brown.

Scharf said the panel would vote on the project when it meets on April 2.

More than 100 people had signed up to comment at Thursday’s meeting, which Scharf said was being conducted online to ease that process.

The panel had also been flooded with written comments submitted by more than 35,000 people, according to the commission, with the majority opposed to Trump’s plans to build a 90,000-square-foot (8,360-square-meter) addition where the East Wing of the White House once stood. Trump had the East Wing demolished in October.

The commission heard just under three hours of public testimony before the meeting ended. Commissioners took a short recess at the two-hour mark, but just two other people were around to comment when the meeting resumed, bring the total to 30 people. Many of the more than 100 people who had signed up to speak didn’t show up. Scharf initially said he expected the public comment session to run into Friday.

He said he wanted to make sure that everyone who wanted to speak could do so.

“They are taking time out of what I presume are busy schedules to join us,” he said.

Critics of the project have argued that Trump should not have demolished the East Wing until the National Capital Planning Commission and a separate panel, the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, had reviewed and voted on his plans. The fine arts panel approved the project last month.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation, a private, nonprofit group, asked a federal judge to temporarily halt construction until the White House submitted the plans both to federal panels and to Congress for approval, and allowed the public to comment.

U.S. District Judge Richard Leon rejected the request last week, and the trust has said it plans to file an amended lawsuit.