The Trump administration has removed three members of the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP), including its Vice Chair, leaving it unable to call meetings.

Executive Director Reid Nelson announced in a message to members this week that Vice Chair Jordan Tannenbaum and members Erica Avrami and Monica Rhodes were removed from the Council. In addition, two other Council members, Frank Matero and Mayor Randall Woodfin, resigned their positions.

With the Chair currently vacant and no Vice Chair, Nelson said that the ACHP is “unable to call meetings until such time as a Chair is sworn in after being confirmed by the Senate” or the President appoints a Vice Chair. To date, the President has not nominated a Chair.

In his note, Nelson said that he and ACHP staff will continue working “carry out the oversight of the Section 106 review process and conduct the day-to-day business of the ACHP.”

Questions Over ACHP’s Independence

The announcements come the same week as a new Executive Order that gives the President more control over independent regulatory agencies. The Order, Ensuring Accountability for All Agencies, requires independent agencies to submit proposed regulations to the White House for review and gives the White House the power to block such agencies from spending funds on projects that conflict with presidential priorities.

Although the Order appears to apply to several high-profile independent agencies like the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), it is not clear whether the Order applies to the ACHP due to how it is described in federal law.

ACRA will continue to monitor the situation and work with its allies in the preservation sector to ensure that preservation laws are properly implemented by all federal agencies.