Trump’s Arlington Arch project faces setback as judge blocks construction hours after approval
WASHINGTON, DC: Only hours after a federal planning commission approved one of President Donald Trump’s ambitious projects to reshape Washington before he leaves the White House, a federal judge blocked construction of the proposed monument.
Monument proposed to celebrate the 250th anniversary of American Independence, the Triumphal Arch 250-foot structure at Memorial Circle, between the Arlington Memorial Bridge and Arlington National Cemetery, near Washington, DC.
Judge blocks Trump Arch construction after approving it
The Trump administration was stopped from beginning construction of the Triumphal Arch just hours after a federal planning commission approved the project.
US District Judge Tanya Chutkan on Friday, November 6, issued a temporary restriction order, halting construction-related work on the project for 14 days.
The order was granted in response to a lawsuit filed by the District of Columbia and Virginia challenging the project. The case was consolidated with an earlier lawsuit brought by a group of Vietnam veterans and an architectural historian.
The district court’s intervention came hours after the National Capital Planning Commission approved the project on Thursday, November 5, in an 8-4 vote.
Mark Paoletta, the commission's Trump-appointed chairman, expressed support for the 250-foot-tall structure during the panel's meeting.
"President Trump understands as president and a superb builder, that it's important to our national identity to display who we are through grand monuments," Paoletta said.
Critics and opponents have raised legal and preservation concerns
The proposed granite structure, designed to mirror the arches built in major cities such as Paris, Rome and London, is opposed by preservationists who argue that it could disrupt views of the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery.
Critics have also raised concerns over the legality of the project, arguing that it has not been approved by Congress.
The Trump administration argued that a 1925 law allowing columns to be built for the Arlington Memorial Bridge gave it the authority to construct the arch.
However, US District Judge Tanya Chutkan rejected this argument, saying it was a stretch to use a century-old law to justify building a 250-foot monument.
Trump has previously said the Triumphal Arch would be converted into a military complex capable of rapidly deploying large numbers of drones, with snipers positioned on the roof and in the plaza areas. He also said the complex would store "large quantities of sniper ammunition."
Opponents have also questioned whether the project requires congressional approval under federal law.
