Key facts
- Representative Chellie Pingree urged House Speaker Mike Johnson to sue to block the Trump administration's planned triumphal arch in Washington.
- Pingree stated Congress has neither appropriated funding nor granted authority for the project.
- A group of veterans and an architectural historian also asked a judge to block the project.
- The Interior Department announced plans to proceed with work on the arch, describing planned excavation as 'test pits' to assess for artifacts.
- A federal judge ordered the administration to provide 48 hours' notice before engaging in any site activity, excluding artifact identification.
A senior House Democrat has urged Speaker Mike Johnson to initiate legal action against the Trump administration to halt the construction of a triumphal arch in Washington. Representative Chellie Pingree argued that Congress has not authorized or funded the project, and the administration is proceeding without proper authority.
This call follows a legal challenge filed by a group of military veterans and an architectural historian who also seek to block the arch's construction. They contend the administration lacks a legal basis for the work and that it violates federal law, requiring congressional approval. The Interior Department has announced plans to begin work, describing initial excavation as 'test pits' to identify cultural artifacts, with a site restoration deadline of October 31.
U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan has previously questioned the administration's authority and ordered that the government provide 48 hours' notice before undertaking any activity at the site, excluding artifact assessment. The administration has cited a 1925 law related to Arlington Memorial Bridge as authorization, a claim opponents dispute. The project also awaits final approval from the National Capital Planning Commission, which is reviewing an exception to Washington's building height limit. Opponents fear the arch would disrupt the historic sight line of Arlington National Cemetery.