Arlington County Sues to Block Trump's Arch

Arlington County is headed to court to try to stop President Trump's 250-foot "triumphal arch" from rising just off its shore. The county's governing board sued in federal court on Thursday, saying the administration and National Park Service rushed the project through with only a cursory review of its environmental impact, in violation of the National Environmental Policy Act, the Washington Post reports. The arch would sit on Memorial Circle, a Park Service-managed traffic circle on an island in the Potomac that is legally part of Washington, DC, but sits a short distance from the Pentagon and Arlington neighborhoods.

The county, joined by the liberal legal group Democracy Forward, wants a judge to block any demolition or construction until a full review is conducted and alternatives are weighed, per the Post. The lawsuit names the Interior Department, the Park Service, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, and acting NPS Director Jessica Bowron as defendants. Trump has pitched the arch as a monument for America's 250th birthday and has argued Congress already effectively signed off a century ago. The project is also facing a separate lawsuit from three veterans and a preservationist, who say the massive structure would diminish visits to nearby Arlington National Cemetery.