Trump's towering arch clears another federal hurdle, despite public pushback

A commission granted final approval for a 250-foot arch planned between Arlington National Cemetery and the National Mall. The approval clears one hurdle toward building the structure in a traffic circle on the Virginia side of the Potomac River. Commissioners appointed by President Trump had provided preliminary approval in April after requesting additional information and suggesting revisions, then approved a similar design on Thursday. Public participation was limited, with about 600 written comments submitted and 99.5% opposing the project. The president said congressional approval is not required because the land is owned by the Interior Department. The meeting included presentations from supporters and opponents, with only a few letters in favor and many against.

"The Commission of Fine Arts voted Thursday to give final approval to President Trump's towering arch between Arlington National Cemetery and the National Mall, despite overwhelming public pushback and numerous unanswered questions. That approval clears just one of the potential hurdles in the path to building a 250-foot structure in a traffic circle on the Virginia side of the Potomac River. Still, it moved faster than many expected."

"Monuments built on federal land in Washington generally require congressional approval. But speaking at the White House Thursday, Trump said he does not require Congressional approval for the arch. "We're doing it," he told reporters. "The land is owned by the secretary by the Interior Department. We don't need anything from Congress.""

"At the commission meeting, over the course of some two hours in a warm, crowded room in D.C.'s National Building Museum, commissioners sat at a long table lined with miniature models and listened as those involved with and opposed to the project made their respective pitches. Members of the public filled the several rows of seats, and Commission Secretary Thomas Luebke said some 600 others had written in ahead of time, with "99.5% of them in opposition" to the arch. He read from one of only three letters in favor, and one of the many more against it."

""This continued desire to move things at a pace where the public doesn't have an opportunity to participate seems to be the MO of this administration and also the MO of this particular review board," Rebecca Miller, executive director of the D.C. Preservation League, told NPR after the vote. The commissioners all appointed by Trump at the start of his term had granted preliminary approval to the design at their April meeting. They had also asked for more information and suggested several revisions, only to greenlight a very similar version on Thursday morning."

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