House Democrats on Wednesday announced legislation intended to block the construction of President Donald Trump’s planned 250-foot triumphal arch, which would be built on parkland just inside Washington’s boundaries and tower over nearby Arlington National Cemetery.
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The legislation, which was previewed with The Washington Post, would explicitly bar construction of an arch on the small island where Trump seeks to build his project, as well as prohibit the use of federal funds for the project. It would also prohibit construction of a large arch or similar structure on other Washington-area parkland unless the project received congressional approval.
The Trump administration is not planning to seek congressional authorization to build the arch, arguing that Congress more than a century ago authorized the construction of a somewhat similar project at the site, The Post reported last week.
The Democrats’ bill faces long odds in Congress, where Republican leaders have hesitated to publicly oppose Trump’s construction projects. But some Republicans have begun to signal concerns about Trump’s swift remaking of Washington and have balked at committing hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars to security-related costs for his planned White House ballroom.
Democrats have also said they will prioritize investigating and halting Trump’s planned construction projects if they retake one or both chambers of Congress after November’s midterm elections.
The legislation is being proposed by Democratic Reps. Don Beyer (Virginia), whose district includes Arlington National Cemetery, and Dina Titus (Nevada), who co-chairs the Congressional Humanities Caucus. They said they would formally introduce the bill on Friday.
About two dozen House Democrats have joined the bill, with some calling the arch — which would alter views from the cemetery — an affront to the veterans who visit and are buried there.
“Arlington National Cemetery is sacred ground, the resting place for some of our nation’s greatest heroes,” Beyer said in a statement. “It is unthinkable that we would desecrate this hallowed space to build a monument to Donald Trump’s ego.”
Beyer’s parents, grandparents and sister are buried at the cemetery.
The president’s project has also been opposed by some military veterans and an architectural historian, who have sued to prevent the building of the arch. The Trump administration has said it will provide at least 14 days’ notice before beginning construction.
Polls have found that the public opposes the planned arch. Fifty-two percent of Americans are against the project, compared with 21 percent who favor it, according to a Washington Post-ABC-Ipsos poll conducted last month.
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Trump is eyeing Memorial Circle, a traffic roundabout located between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery, as the planned site for the arch. The circle is located in Lady Bird Johnson Park, formerly known as Columbia Island, a partially man-made island on the edge of the city.
A fine-arts commission stocked with Trump allies approved the planned arch last week, and another federal panel led by Trump deputies will consider it on June 4.
Under federal law, certain parts of the city — including Memorial Circle, which is managed by the National Park Service — are considered protected land, and monuments built there require congressional authorization.
The administration has said its new proposal is “building on” a project, authorized by Congress a century ago, which would have constructed 166-foot-tall columns on the island. Trump officials have noted that the columns for the president’s planned arch would also be 166 feet tall.
“There is thus nothing unfaithful about implementing a project that Congress has authorized,” the Justice Department on Tuesday told U.S. District Judge Tanya S. Chutkan, who is weighing whether to block the project.
On Trump’s planned arch, the columns would be topped by an additional 84 feet of pedestal and statuary to bring the total height to 250 feet.
The Justice Department has also argued that efforts to block the arch’s construction are premature since the plans are not final, calling for the judge to dismiss the lawsuit, despite Trump’s declarations that the project is moving forward.
“This will be a wonderful addition to the Washington D.C. area for all Americans to enjoy for many decades to come!” the president wrote on his Truth Social platform last month.
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