Commission Set to Approve Trump's 250-Foot Arch in Washington

The National Capital Planning Commission is expected to vote Thursday to approve President Donald Trump’s planned Triumphal Arch in Washington, D.C. The structure would stand in Memorial Circle between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery. Construction could begin almost immediately after the vote.

The commission is led by Trump appointees. Mark Paoletta, the Office of Management and Budget general counsel who became chairman in August, called the lack of such a memorial a national disgrace. He praised the president's monumental vision and described the planned structure as the grandest arch ever built by mankind.

Numerous area residents lined up to voice opposition during a recent hearing. Their protest came as the administration moves forward with the project despite legal challenges from preservationists, military veterans, and local governments.

Virginia and the District of Columbia are seeking an emergency court order to block construction. They argue the project is illegal and want a judge to halt any building work immediately. They aim to prevent legal gamesmanship by the administration, citing the earlier destruction of the White House East Wing to build a ballroom that includes national security measures.

In their filings, the local governments warned that once construction starts, the administration will likely argue that stopping it would irreparably harm the federal government. They also predicted claims of security risks and altered status quo. They asked the court not to allow this cynical gambit to succeed.

U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan has asked to be notified after the commission's vote. The administration has countered that the city and state lack standing to sue. It also argued that Congress approved the project roughly a century ago when it authorized 166-foot-tall columns with statues. Those columns exceeded applicable height limits and have not yet been built.

Attorneys for the city and state called those arguments implausible. They noted that the columns were initially planned alongside Memorial Bridge before the idea was dropped. They pointed out that the Memorial Bridge Act does not mention an arch.

Virginia and the District of Columbia filed their own action to stop the project last week. They contend it defies at least five federal statutes. One statute generally limits buildings in the District to a maximum height of 130 feet. The 250-foot arch would exceed that limit almost twice over.

The suit states the arch is slated to be built on a busy traffic circle that abuts the border between the jurisdictions. It sits at the center of a historic viewshed and in a river whose environment the District has a statutory responsibility to protect. Construction and the finished monument would disrupt operations and require substantial resources to mitigate impacts.

Trump has said the arch would celebrate the nation's 250th anniversary. He also mentioned a military complex with drones and snipers that he described as important for national security. The final plans submitted to the commission make no mention of drones, ammunition storage, or sniper positions.