Key federal panel expected to approve Trump's arch amid court challenge

PBS NewsHour · NBC News and NBC News report that a federal commission was expected Thursday to approve President Donald Trump's proposed 250-foot memorial arch near Arlington National Cemetery, a step that would let construction begin as soon as the next day, according to the administration. Legal obstacles remain, though. PBS NewsHour · NBC News says three lawsuits seek to stop the project, and a judge could decide on a request to block work as early as Thursday.

PBS NewsHour · NBC News reports that the call-in hearing, which repeatedly crashed, drew dozens of opponents who warned the monument would undermine the cemetery's solemnity. Commission chairman Mark Paoletta, a Trump appointee, praised the plan and said a 1925 law already called for a memorial at the site. Representative Jared Huffman, a California Democrat expected to lead the House Natural Resources Committee, said the arch honors Trump rather than veterans. NBC News likewise notes broad criticism, including claims that it would disrespect those buried at the cemetery.

PBS NewsHour · NBC News adds that Judge Tanya Chutkan ordered prompt notice of any approval, and that Justice Department lawyers disclosed a contractor had done site preparation on Oct. 31.

Summarized by PolitiKool from PBS NewsHour · NBC News and NBC News’s reporting. Read the full story at PBS NewsHour · NBC News → Also at NBC News →