President Donald Trump appointed Mark Paoletta, a federal government official with at least three other administration positions, to lead the planning commission tasked with reviewing the White House’s many construction projects, Paoletta confirmed in a statement.
Paoletta, the conservative lawyer who helped gut the federal bureaucracy as a deputy to Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought, is set to inherit a number of legally contentious initiatives such as the White House ballroom, the 250-foot triumphal arch and the installation of permanent fencing on Pennsylvania Avenue.
Paoletta said he was “honored” to be appointed by Trump as at-large commissioner and chairman of the National Capital Planning Commission. The NCPC’s website was updated as of Thursday to reflect the leadership change.
“President Trump has transformed DC into a Capital worthy of the greatest nation in history,” Paoletta said. “I look forward to working with my new colleagues to further the president’s historic restoration and beautification of the National Capital Region, especially in the 250th year of our country’s independence.”
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He will succeed Will Scharf, who will transition to a new job as White House counsel beginning Sept. 1.
Paoletta, who Trump once deemed a “conservative warrior,” has been a close ally to the president since his first term in office. His other roles currently include general counsel for OMB and acting director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. He also performs the duties of administrator of OMB’s Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, a federal office that reviews government regulations.
Trump has made D.C. beautification projects a priority since his return to office, despite opposition from local elected officials and preservation groups. The projects have faced a series of setbacks, such as botched renovations to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool that led to peeling paint and internal disputes over vandalism charges.
The Interior Department has spent nearly $95 million in taxpayer funds on renovations between December 2025 and April 2026.
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