Trump’s 250-Foot Triumphal Arch Near Arlington Gets Veterans’ Lawsuit Pause
Trump administration officials released renderings Friday for a 250-foot-tall “triumphal arch” planned for Memorial Circle near Arlington National Cemetery, across the Potomac River from the Lincoln Memorial. The monument would feature an inscription reading “One Nation Under God,” a gold statue of Lady Liberty at its apex with outstretched wings, and four golden lions at its base. Trump stated in January he wants it to be the world’s largest arch, exceeding the 164-foot Arc de Triomphe in Paris, and called it on social media the “GREATEST and MOST BEAUTIFUL” structure “anywhere in the world.”
The arch proposal faces legal opposition from multiple groups. Veterans sued to block construction, but the Trump administration reached a compromise this week agreeing to provide at least two weeks’ public notice before beginning work, temporarily halting the lawsuit. However, the veterans’ group can resume litigation if the administration fails to follow legal procedures. A coalition of Democratic lawmakers led by Rep. Jared Huffman of California and Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, filed an amicus brief arguing the project violates the Commemorative Works Act and requires congressional approval.
Federal spending documents revealed taxpayer funds would partially finance the project. The Office of Budget and Management approved $2 million in “special initiative funds” and $13 million in matching grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities for the arch, according to a spending plan released this week.