Trump's arch may break ground without final approval. Veterans are trying to stop it

0:00Well, the Trump administration says it will break ground on its DC arch in the next two weeks, even though the project has yet to receive federal approval. The 250-foot arch would tower over Arlington National Cemetery and the Lincoln Memorial. It's already drawn, public pushback, and a lawsuit is now escalating. And Pierce Rachel Treaseman joins us now to talk about all of this high-rachael. Hey, Elsa. Okay, so I know that you've been covering a lot of hearings, a lot of questions about the arch over the last few months. What changed this week? Right. So interior secretary Doug Bergam said yesterday that, quote, excavation work will begin in the next two weeks at the traffic circle on Arlington Memorial Bridge, where this administration wants to put the arch. Now, any structure this big would be controversial, since it will of course impact things like road and air traffic, not to mention some pretty key views of the city. US representative Don Byer, a Democrat, represents the part of Virginia where the arch would stand. 250 feet is twice as tall as the Lincoln Memorial,

1:03half as tall as the Washington monument. You'll be able to see this from almost any place inside the beltway. The administration's own National Park Service agrees it said in a report last week that the arch would disrupt the historical significance of dozens of nearby sites, but the government still wants to move forward so quickly that it's announcing this work before it's even gotten final approval. Yeah, tell us more about that. Like, what steps has the administration taken so far and what steps are left? There are two federal panels that need to review this kind of construction in DC. The first, the commission of fine arts gave final approval to the design back in May. Its members were all appointed by President Trump. The second, the National Capital Planning Commission, which is also led by administration appointees, has given some green lights, but it hasn't granted final approval yet, and it doesn't meet again until October. There are also a bunch of federally required reviews still underway about things like aviation safety and historic preservation. The White House told us in a statement that it is still seeking

2:06those approvals and is only starting work that, quote, helps in the process. But Byer isn't surprised that the administration wants to move quickly. I think Republicans expect that in nine weeks, they're going to lose the majority of the House, maybe the Senate, and that this project is going to be endangered by a new democratic majority that actually stands up to Trump. Well, meanwhile, a group of Vietnam War veterans has already sued the government to try to block construction of this arch. They say it desecrates the cemetery that the project needs congressional approval. Can you tell me where does that lawsuit stand right now? Well, also on Thursday, the same day as Bergen's announcement, lawyers for the federal government asked the judge in that case to dismiss it altogether, and they cited last week's Supreme Court ruling in a different construction case over the White House ballroom. The court said there that the historic preservation group that sued over the construction of the ballroom didn't have the legal standing to do so. And so now, the government's lawyers are saying that same reasoning should

3:07apply to the arch. But Nicholas Sandsone, the lawyer leading this arch lawsuit, says this case is completely different. For example, the veterans suing over the arch have deep ties to Arlington National Cemetery and a lot at stake, especially now. The Supreme Court's decision in the ballroom case has made clear that once construction starts, it's very hard to walk it back. He's with public citizen, the nonprofit representing the veterans, and they're asking the court to weigh in on the government's plans quickly. That is NPR's Rachel Treesman. Thank you, Rachel. Thank you.