The Trump administration told a judge Wednesday evening that construction on the president’s controversial 250-foot triumphal arch could begin in just two weeks, days after the midterm elections.
The Justice Department said in Wednesday’s court filing that the National Capital Planning Commission is set to meet on November 5 and could sign off on final plans for the arch that day — and with final authorization from the Department of the Interior — “construction could commence as early as November 5, 2026.”
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The administration last week released final plans for the arch — one of President Donald Trump’s pet construction projects in the nation’s capital. Wednesday night’s court filing comes in one of the lawsuits seeking to stop the arch’s construction.
Notably, the plans released last week excluded key features of a military complex including drones and snipers that Trump has used as justification for the much-criticized project. In the plans, the contours of the arch do not appear to reflect a national security purpose. Instead, they describe the project as a “ceremonial gateway” to the nation’s capital.
Trump announced in September that the arch would store large numbers of drones and function as a post for military snipers, with a large cache of ammunition. While the plans submitted last week don’t include the military components Trump described, the structure still might feature them.
The massive arch would sit directly across from Arlington National Cemetery where nearly 430,000 service members, veterans and their family members are buried. Veterans suing to stop its construction argue the towering structure would break the solemnity of funerals at the cemetery, while preservationists argue it would disrupt the sightline of the row of national landmarks that includes the Lincoln Memorial, Arlington House and the Robert E. Lee Memorial.
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An Interior Department spokesperson told CNN over the weekend that the structure will “enhance the visitor experience at Arlington National Cemetery for veterans, the families of the fallen, and all Americans alike.”
The proposed arch is among several projects Trump is pursuing in an effort to remake the nation’s capital to his own personal liking, prompting legal battles from preservationists and others. The idea of the arch being needed for national security purposes mirrors an argument Trump has made for building a White House ballroom where the East Wing once stood.
