Report: President Donald Trump to name Mark Paoletta as National Capital Planning Commission chairman

The Hill reports that Mark Paoletta, the general counsel of the White House Office of Management and Budget, would succeed Will Scharf as chair of the National Capital Planning Commission, an agency that reviews major projects in Washington, D.C., including work tied to the White House’s ballroom and the city’s Washington arch.

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President Donald Trump has reportedly selected Mark Paoletta to become chairman of the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC), according to The Hill. The outlet reported that Paoletta, who serves as general counsel of the White House Office of Management and Budget, would replace Will Scharf as chair.

NCPC is a federal body responsible for reviewing major developments and other significant proposals in the National Capital Region. The commission’s oversight includes high-profile federal and public projects in Washington, and The Hill specifically tied the chair role to planning for the White House’s ballroom and Washington arch projects.

The Hill said Scharf is expected to leave the chair position. The reported change would place Paoletta, a senior White House official, at the head of a commission that plays a central role in coordinating federal and local planning decisions for prominent sites in the nation’s capital.

The practical effect of the reported leadership change would be control over NCPC’s agenda-setting and chair-level coordination as the commission evaluates proposals that affect federal property and major public-facing structures. As chair, Paoletta would also be positioned to preside over meetings and guide the commission’s deliberations on whether particular designs and project elements meet applicable standards.

The Hill’s report did not, in the information provided for this draft, include a publicly accessible White House action, nomination document, or Federal Register entry confirming the appointment. Under publication requirements for official actions, Apex cannot confirm the appointment through a White House or Federal Register record based on the materials currently provided.

Separately, the Federal Register materials provided in the packet relate to unrelated information-collection notices and do not establish any connection to an NCPC leadership change. The only relevant official record in the packet is a White House presidential-actions memorandum about rebuilding the Navy and shipbuilding industrial base, which does not concern NCPC.

If an official White House announcement or a Federal Register entry is located, it would clarify the effective date of the chair transition and any conditions attached to the appointment. Until then, the leadership change should be treated as a reported personnel decision pending official confirmation.

Why It Matters

NCPC chair leadership can affect how major Washington-area projects are reviewed and scheduled as the commission evaluates proposals affecting prominent federal sites.
A change in NCPC chairperson may shift internal coordination priorities for planning processes tied to White House and other federal property projects.
Pending official confirmation, the timing and effective date of any chair transition remain unclear.
Public project oversight roles like NCPC’s can carry downstream effects for design approvals, intergovernmental coordination, and administrative sequencing in the National Capital Region.

Sources

Key Facts

The Hill reported that President Donald Trump would appoint Mark Paoletta as chair of the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC).
The Hill reported that Paoletta is general counsel of the White House Office of Management and Budget.
The report said Paoletta would succeed Will Scharf as NCPC chair.
The Hill linked NCPC chair oversight to planning for the White House ballroom and the Washington arch projects.
No White House or Federal Register confirmation for the NCPC chair appointment was provided in the materials for this draft.