Press Releases

Congressman Don Beyer (D-VA), who represents a Northern Virginia district in the U.S. House that includes Arlington National Cemetery and Ronald Reagan National Airport (DCA), hailed Judge Chutkan’s injunction barring the Trump Administration from commencing construction on Trump’s vanity arch for 14 days. The judicial order came after Trump’s handpicked commission members voted to approve the project despite hours of testimony from veterans, regional leaders including Beyer, and members of the public opposing it.

Beyer said: 

“I am thankful that District Judge Tanya Chutkan swiftly barred the Trump Administration from moving forward with its illegal plans to ram this project through. Judge Chutkan’s injunction will properly restrain Trump’s rush to ignore and bypass legal barriers, overwhelming opposition from the people most affected, and glaring evidence of irreparable harm to national treasures like Arlington National Cemetery.

“This fight is not over. While this decision prevents Donald Trump from immediately implementing his plans to create a monument to his own ego, the courts and Congress must put in place permanent safeguards to stop the Trump Administration from violating the law and proceeding with this project. I will do everything in my power alongside my colleagues in the Democratic majorities just elected to the next Congress to ensure that this wasteful, disrespectful monstrosity goes nowhere.”

Rep. Don Beyer is leading congressional efforts to block construction of Trump’s arch. His Northern Virginia district includes the Arlington National Cemetery, where his parents, grandparents, and sister are buried. He is the author of the Arlington National Cemetery Viewshed Protection Act, which would explicitly prohibit construction of the arch. He previously raised concerns about the projects impacts on traffic in the region, which the Trump Administration has yet to address. The arch has been a consistent source of anger and concern to Beyer’s constituents, who like much of the country, vociferously oppose the project.

The National Park Service’s “Assessment of Effect” on President Trump’s proposed 250-foot “triumphal arch” found that the arch would “adversely affect” dozens of nearby historic sites and monuments, including Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington Memorial Bridge, the Lincoln Memorial, the Washington Monument, the National Cathedral, George Washington Memorial Parkway, and many others. The proposal currently faces legal challenges, which allege that it violates the National Historic Preservation Act.