Trump administration to dig at triumphal arch site despite no final federal approvals

WASHINGTON: The Trump administration says it will break ground on a 250-foot triumphal arch in Washington, D.C., without final federal approval and despite an ongoing lawsuit.

The Trump administration says it'll soon break ground on a 250-foot triumphal arch without final federal approval and despite an ongoing lawsuit. The veterans who brought that lawsuit have asked a judge to step in. She did late last night. NPR's Rachel Treisman has been covering this saga and joins us now. Rachel, thanks for being with us.

SIMON: We're talking about an enormous arch, gold statues on top. It would be built at one end of the bridge that connects the Lincoln Memorial in D.C. to Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia. Did the judge stop it, or is the government forging ahead?

TREISMAN: Well, the government would like to. So as a reminder, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said Thursday that it would start excavation work within two weeks. And that was surprising to people because the arch hasn't gotten final approval yet. It did get design approval in May from one federal panel packed with Trump appointees, but it still needs the green light from the National Capital Planning Commission, which doesn't meet again until October. And several agencies are still conducting studies on the potential impacts of the arch, including on the nearby D.C. airport.

A White House spokesperson told me they're only doing work that does not require approval and, quote, "helps in the process." Now, lawyers for the government clarified in a filing late Friday that they're talking about archaeological surveys, not construction. After that, the judge ordered the government to give 48 hours' notice before doing anything other than on-site information gathering, so we'll have to wait and see.

SIMON: Rachel, remind us, who is fighting the construction and why?

TREISMAN: Well, broadly speaking, historic preservation experts have accused the Trump administration of trying to rush the review process for this arch basically since it was introduced last October. And then earlier this year, an architectural historian and three Vietnam War veterans sued. They said the arch would desecrate Arlington National Cemetery and requires approval from Congress. The Trump administration disagrees. And it was those plaintiffs that asked the judge yesterday to issue a restraining order to block construction for two weeks.

This Bay News report is based on originating coverage from NPR.