“Trump’s vanity project would waste taxpayer money, brazenly violate existing law, and become yet another vehicle for his corruption,” Rep. Don Beyer of Virginia said in a statement Wednesday. “The Administration has also given no consideration to potential harmful effects on the region including impacts on air safety and traffic on major roadways.”
The bill seeks to prohibit the construction of the arch and the use of any federal funds for the project. Additionally, it would prohibit the construction of any triumphal arch exceeding 50-feet on any National Park Service lands within the capital region “except by express authorization of Congress.”
“As President Trump strips away the necessary safety nets from Americans who are struggling to afford their basic needs like groceries and healthcare, he builds his unauthorized, grandiose Triumphal Arch,” said Titus. “While destroying historical monuments and artefacts important to our American identity, he is erecting monuments to honor himself.”
“It is unthinkable that we would desecrate this hallowed space to build a monument to Donald Trump’s ego,” said Beyer, who has military family members buried at the cemetery.
He did not specify who across the aisle is in agreement with him, but said he “will be doing all [he] can to build that coalition in days and weeks ahead.”
When asked last October who the arch was intended for, the President responded “Me. It’s going to be beautiful.”
“The Triumphal Arch in Memorial Circle is going to be one of the most iconic landmarks not only in Washington, D.C., but throughout the world,” White House Spokesperson Davis Ingle told TIME on Thursday, adding that the monument will enhance visitor experience at Arlington National Cemetery and serve as a visual reminder of American heroes.
But Trump has already vehemently rejected this stance, insisting last week that he does not intend to seek congressional approval.
As part of its 2026 spending plan the NEH had allocated $13 million of “matching funds” reserved for the arch alongside a further $2 millions of “special initiative” funds.
Organizations including the National Trust for Historic Preservation have also voiced opposition against the design approval, arguing it “disregards the hundreds of public comments opposing the arch."
But public opinion also appears to be divided.
Democrats rally against Trump’s construction projects
Since returning to office, Trump has embarked on multiple renovation projects tied to the White House and the general Washington area.
“While Americans are getting crushed by the cost of rent, groceries, gas, health care, child care, Senate Republicans have spent their time trying to salvage a plan to force taxpayers to fund Donald Trump's gilded ballroom,” said Senate Minority leader Chuck Schumer on the Senate floor last week.
But the President encountered widespread backlash earlier this month when he dismissed soaring gas prices triggered by the Iran war as “peanuts,” all while standing in front of his ballroom construction site.
Last week, after Senate parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough ruled against including funds for the White House ballroom as part of the Republican party’s budget reconciliation bill, Trump called for her to be fired.
One such proposal is his mission to make ”the reflecting pool beautiful again.”
It will entail repairs to leaking joints between the pool’s concrete slabs, waterproofing the pool’s bottom and painting it a shade called “American flag blue.”
Trump has also previously expressed his vision for the National Garden of American Heroes, which has come under scrutiny amid reports of rising costs. The venture, set to be built in D.C.’s West Potomac Park, would feature several statues from historical American figures.
When he offered a preview of the envisioned interior design in an AI-generated video earlier this year, the inclusion of two golden statues of Trump prompted criticism.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and two of her peers last month said they had sent a letter to Trump querying the money after the original fund was seemingly dissolved last year.
Meanwhile, the UFC cage currently being constructed on the White House lawn has prompted further scrutiny and questions about the priorities of the Administration.
Dubbed the UFC Freedom 250, it will feature high profile fighters and serve as an unofficial opening of a summerlong celebration of America’s 250th anniversary.
Similarly, Rep. Gewn Moore claimed “Trump’s top priorities” are “a golden White House ballroom and installing a UFC boxing ring.”
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