The White House has asked several veterans groups to support President Donald Trump’s efforts to build a towering triumphal arch near Arlington National Cemetery, breaking with other veterans and advocacy groups that have said the structure will harm the experience of visiting the national cemetery, according to three people familiar with their plans.
The Vietnam Veterans of America, Veterans for America First and other associations are expected to join an amicus brief that opposes some veterans’ efforts to halt construction of the arch, said the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly. The filing is expected as soon as Wednesday.
The move comes as U.S. District Judge Tanya S. Chutkan weighs whether to let the arch move forward.
The White House did not respond to questions about the planned brief. A spokesperson for Veterans for America First, previously known as Veterans for Trump, declined to comment.
Thomas Burke, the national president of the Vietnam Veterans of America, told The Washington Post on Tuesday afternoon that his group and three others planned to stay “neutral” and that he was not aware of plans to join an amicus brief. Burke also shared a statement from the four groups saying they did not “endorse or oppose any specific architectural design or proposal” and calling for Americans to unite around a new monument honoring veterans in Memorial Circle.
Chutkan, an appointee of President Barack Obama, is reviewing a lawsuit brought by three Vietnam War veterans who say the arch would disrupt the experience of visiting the cemetery and interfere with the intent of nearby monuments.
A September YouGov poll found that 48 percent of Americans oppose the arch and 30 percent support the project, with the remaining 22 percent unsure.
The Post published an analysis Tuesday of how the towering arch’s shadows would move across the graves of veterans and their next of kin from the Vietnam War, Korean War, World War II, World War I, Spanish-American War and Civil War, according to a 3D model.
The symbolism of Trump’s arch overshadowing graves has drawn rebukes from VoteVets, a political organization aligned with Democratic veterans, which launched a campaign last month to mobilize more veterans against the planned 250-foot arch. On Tuesday evening, VoteVets also rebuked other veterans’ organizations for planning to side with the White House.
Jay Kalner, the president of the Vietnam Veterans of America’s Northern Virginia chapter, and other local VVA leaders oppose the arch, Kalner told The Post on Tuesday.
The Trump administration has acknowledged that construction on the arch, which is expected to take several years, could create disruptions for people visiting the cemetery. The arch also is set to have a viewing deck that could allow tourists to watch funerals in the cemetery, drawing more objections from some veterans.
A federal review panel, which Trump has stocked with allies, is expected to approve the arch as early as Nov. 5. Administration officials hope to begin work immediately afterward.
Other advocacy organizations have previously come out against Trump’s project.
The National Parks Conservation Association, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the American Institute of Architects and other groups said Monday in an amicus brief that the arch must receive explicit congressional approval, rather than the century-old authorization for a different project that Trump officials are relying upon.
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