House Democrats are set to introduce legislation aimed at blocking the construction of President Donald Trump’s planned 250-ft triumphal arch nearby Arlington National Cemetery.
“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.”
Alongside Rep. Dina Titus of Nevada, Beyer plans to introduce what has been tentatively titled the “‘Arlington National Cemetery Viewshed Protection Act” on Friday, just days after the designs were approved by the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, a panel made up of Trump appointees.
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.”
Democrats have argued that the proposed arch, which is set to include a public viewing deck, is an unnecessary financial expenditure, especially given the ongoing affordability crisis impacting many Americans.
“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.”
The location of the new build, which would stand between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery, has also prompted criticism.
“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.
In a statement to TIME, Beyer added “there are Republicans who agree with me that Trump’s arch and the egotism, waste, and disrespect for our fallen heroes it represents are wrong.”
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.”
Many Democrats have dismissed the monument as a “vanity project”—and Trump has not denied the intention behind the build.
When asked last October who the arch was intended for, the President responded “Me. It’s going to be beautiful.”
The design has already taken on Trump’s name, having been informally dubbed “The Arc de Trump,” in reference to the famous Arc de Triomphe in Paris.
“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.
Democrats are also arguing the project violates the Commemorative Works Act, which requires congressional approval for memorials built on or near federal land in Washington.
But Trump has already vehemently rejected this stance, insisting last week that he does not intend to seek congressional approval.
Both Beyer and Titus in April joined the Ranking Member of the House Natural Resources Committee and others in raising concerns over National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) funds potentially being directed toward the project.
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.
“A construction project of this nature, especially one previously described by President Trump as privately funded, falls well outside the intended use of NEH program funding. Allocating funds to a project that has no legal basis to proceed is an abuse of taxpayer dollars,” the lawmakers insisted.
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."
Republican Sen. Jim Banks of Indiana is among those defending the project, which he describes as “a hopeful sign of the Trump Administration’s continued commitment to reviving classical architecture.”
But public opinion also appears to be divided.
According to an ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos poll published at the end of April, 52% of Americans somewhat or strongly opposed Trump’s proposed 250-foot arch project.
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.
Under Trump’s direction, the East Wing of the White House was demolished last year to make way for the construction of his grandiose ballroom. The project has raised concerns across party aisles, particularly over the attached $400-million price tag.
“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.
Trump has argued that the ballroom is necessary for security purposes, citing the shooting incident at the White House Correspondent's Dinner last month and a gunman who shot at a White House security checkpoint last week as evidence of his point.
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.
Trump has also experienced significant setbacks related to the ballroom funding.
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.
Trump has also placed focus on repairing Washington monuments ahead of America’s 250th birthday.
One such proposal is his mission to make ”the reflecting pool beautiful again.”
The renovation project on the pool that sits between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument is reportedly set to cost $13.1 million.
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.”
“Nobody's ever seen anything like it,” the President said at a Cabinet meeting on Wednesday, during which he discussed his plans for the reflecting pool for almost 10 minutes.
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.
Elsewhere, the President is planning a Donald J. Trump Presidential Library and Museum to be built in Miami, Florida.
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.
Congressional Democrats last month announced a probe into the whereabouts of millions of dollars various Big Tech companies pledged to Trump’s planned library.
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.
TIME has reached out to the White House for comment.
Meanwhile, the UFC cage currently being constructed on the White House lawn has prompted further scrutiny and questions about the priorities of the Administration.
The cage is being constructed as part of an UFC event being hosted on the South Lawn of the White House on June 14, to coincide with Flag Day and Trump’s birthday.
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.
“Trump is building a golden ballroom, and for his birthday party, arranging a UFC fight on the White House grounds—while you're fighting to pay this month's bills,” said Sen. Adam Schiff of California this week. “Could he be more out of touch?”
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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