Democrats Draw Up Bill to Block Trump's Arch

House Democrats are moving to head off President Trump's proposed 250-foot triumphal arch near Arlington National Cemetery, unveiling legislation Wednesday that would bar the project and cut off federal funding for it. The bill, to be formally introduced Friday by Reps. Don Beyer and Dina Titus, would prohibit construction of an arch on the small island at Memorial Circle where Trump wants it built and require explicit congressional approval for similar large monuments on Washington, DC-area parkland, the Washington Post reports. Memorial Circle, between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery, sits in Lady Bird Johnson Park and is managed by the National Park Service, which generally requires congressional sign-off for monuments there.

The legislation faces steep odds in the current Congress, where Republican leaders have largely avoided direct clashes over Trump's building plans. But some in the GOP have raised questions about the broader reshaping of Washington and the security costs of other Trump proposals, such as the president's plan for a White House ballroom. Democrats say that if they win control of one or both chambers in November, they intend to make blocking Trump-related construction projects a priority. Beyer, whose district includes Arlington National Cemetery, called it "sacred ground" in a statement. "It is unthinkable that we would desecrate this hallowed space to build a monument to Donald Trump's ego," he added. Trump administration officials have said the project doesn't need the approval of Congress.