A 1925 Law About Two Columns Meets a 250-Foot Arch

A 1925 Law About Two Columns Meets a 250-Foot Arch

The White House Says Congress Already Said Yes a Century Ago

The Trump administration's sole legal defense for its planned triumphal arch is a 1925 statute authorizing the Arlington Memorial Bridge and its surroundings. According to court filings, the government argues that because Congress reviewed 1924 plans from the Arlington Memorial Bridge Commission that envisioned two "slender and widely spaced columns" at the bridge's Virginia end, it effectively approved today's arch, and no fresh congressional authorization is needed.

The Archives Tell a Different Story: Columns, Not an Arch

Plaintiffs suing to stop the project call that reading "entirely untethered from the Act's text." Their memo notes that the 1924 plans included two columns but not an arch, that the very commission Congress empowered later removed the columns, and that the bridge was completed more than ninety years ago without them. David Maloney, the District of Columbia's historic preservation officer, told the National Park Service in a recorded September meeting that the administration's theory "just doesn't pass the laugh test."

A 250-Foot Landmark Between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington

The proposed arch would rise 250 feet (76 meters) at Memorial Circle on Columbia Island, directly across the Potomac from the Lincoln Memorial and beside Arlington National Cemetery, as the centerpiece of the America250 anniversary. The first detailed design, released ahead of an April meeting of the Commission of Fine Arts, set the arch itself at 166 feet — a nod to the never-built 166-foot columns — with rooftop statues bringing the total to 250 feet. On May 21, 2026, the Commission of Fine Arts approved a revised concept that dropped an eight-foot base and four golden lions, which commissioners noted are "not native to the United States." The final concept is a concrete-and-granite arch crowned by a gilded Lady Liberty and inscribed "One Nation Under God."

A $250 Million Price Tag, Paid by Private Donors

The administration puts the cost at up to $250 million, covered entirely by private donations, though some reports cite a $100 million to $250 million range. Critics, including protesters pictured alongside Senator Tammy Duckworth, call it a vanity project that would block views toward Arlington National Cemetery. Senator Jeff Merkley, the top Democrat on the Senate subcommittee overseeing federal parks, plans legislation to bar federal funding for the arch.

The Vanishing Military Complex

President Donald Trump earlier justified the project in national-security terms, floating a military installation inside the arch complete with drones and snipers. But final plans published by the National Capital Planning Commission on October 17 omit the complex entirely, describing a commemorative monument with no security function. The plans have been approved by the Commission of Fine Arts and received preliminary approval from the planning commission, whose chairman, White House official Mark Paoletta, says he will vote for final approval. Paoletta wrote this week that the traffic circle built in 1940 "does not complete the grand design authorized and envisioned" by the 1925 law and is "a disgrace to our nation and her noble veterans."

Two Lawsuits, One Deadline: November 5

Two lawsuits challenge the project. The Arlington County Board sued on October 8, 2026, in the Eastern District of Virginia, the first government body to take legal action. Separately, three Vietnam War veterans and a retired architectural historian asked U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan for a preliminary injunction barring construction without congressional approval, citing the White House ballroom dispute as a "cautionary tale" against letting the president create facts on the ground. The administration told the court that site work could begin as soon as November 5, the same day the planning commission votes on final site and building plans; the plaintiffs seek a ruling by November 4. Chutkan previously ordered 48 hours' notice for site activity beyond permitted information gathering and 14 days' notice for construction or demolition.