Trump administration pushes ahead with arch plan while ballroom funding stalls
The Trump administration reportedly plans to move forward with its proposed 250-foot triumphal arch without seeking new approval from Congress, while a separate push for White House ballroom funding is hitting resistance on Capitol Hill.
The Washington Post reported the administration is relying on congressional action taken more than a century ago to justify the project.
Survey work and testing have already begun at Memorial Circle, the planned site for the arch.
Federal law, however, treats Memorial Circle as protected land, and monuments there generally require congressional authorization. Two sources familiar with the matter told the Post the administration does not intend to seek that approval.
White House points to century-old authorization
Instead, administration officials are leaning on a 1924 federal commission report tied to the design of the Arlington Memorial Bridge.
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The National World War I Memorial, completed in 2024, was the most recent monument in Washington, D.C. The newest major presidential memorial was the Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial, dedicated in 2020. Both structures received congressional approval.
Congress ratified that plan in 1925. It called for two 166-foot columns topped with statues on Columbia Island as part of the broader bridge design. The bridge itself was built, but the columns never were.
The administration now argues that the proposed arch falls under that earlier authorization.
The Post cited a Justice Department filing stating: “Congress authorized the arch project when it approved the design set out in Arlington Memorial Bridge Commission’s report.”
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum made a similar argument before the Commission of Fine Arts, saying President Donald Trump sees the country’s 250th anniversary as an opportunity to finally complete what he described as a long-unfinished vision for Columbia Island.
Bergum also argued the proposed 250-foot arch expands on the original concept rather than creating something entirely new.
Critics challenge legal argument
Opponents have rejected that interpretation.
Wendy Liu, an attorney with the nonprofit watchdog group Public Citizen Litigation Group, called the argument “absurd.”
Public Citizen is representing military veterans and a historian who are suing to try to stop the project, arguing a structure of that size would obstruct views of both the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery.
Rep. Jared Huffman, the top Democrat on the House Natural Resources Committee, also argues Congress must authorize the project.
“The fact that they’re trotting out this tortured argument that a 100-year-old authorization for something totally different satisfies a law today is laughable,” Huffman told the Post.
Ballroom funding faces resistance in Senate
At the same time, Senate Republicans appear ready to abandon a separate proposal that would provide $1 billion for White House security projects, including Trump’s grand ballroom.
The White House had pushed lawmakers to include the funding in a broader $70 billion package supporting Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol operations.
Several Republicans questioned the timing, cost and use of taxpayer dollars.
Louisiana Sen. John Kennedy put it plainly, saying, “The votes are not there.”
Senate Majority Leader John Thune also acknowledged ongoing issues with the package as lawmakers try to finish work before the Memorial Day recess.
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Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
