Top Senate Democrat calls on FAA to reject White House arch approval pressure

Source: The Hill

06/18/26 7:50 PM ET


Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) urged the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Thursday to reject the White House’s plans to erect a triumphal arch near the Lincoln Memorial.

The ranking member of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Subcommittee on Aviation called the arch President Trump’s “newest vanity project” in her letter to the federal agency and expressed concerns that it could pose a risk to commercial flights. “President Trump choosing to force the FAA to invest limited staff and resources into a distracting review of his gaudy and disgraceful arch is merely the latest example of Trump putting his pet projects first, while neglecting America’s needs,” the senator wrote.

The 259-foot structure is modeled after the iconic Arc de Triomphe in Paris. Its construction could last 20 hours a day for a period of two to three years and require cranes that reach 300 feet or higher, according to an estimate from the National Park Service.

A group of six lawmakers expressed their opposition to the structure in a June letter to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and the acting director of the National Park Service, arguing that the administration has “no power to build” the arch without congressional approval.

Read more: https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5931473-faa-duckworth-trump-arch/