The Trump administration said Wednesday night that construction on President Donald Trump’s planned triumphal arch could begin immediately after the National Capital Planning Commission meets next month.
“Construction could commence as early as November 5, 2026,” if the commission approves the towering arch and the Interior Department formally authorizes it that same day, the Justice Department said in a court filing. A federal judge has been weighing whether to halt the project, but Trump officials have argued that intervention is premature given that work has not begun.
Trump has packed the commission, which reviews federal construction projects, with allies who are expected to approve his project. The administration this week added several political appointees as alternate commissioners, replacing career officials, ahead of next month’s vote.
Veterans groups, local advocacy organizations and historic preservationists have called for the administration to scale down the planned 250-foot arch or pick a different place to build it. Three Vietnam War veterans and a historic preservationist have sued to halt thework, saying the towering structure would interfere with their experience visiting nearby Arlington National Cemetery.
U.S. District Judge Tanya S. Chutkan, an Obama appointee who is reviewing the veterans’ case, has warned the administration not to abruptly begin construction on the arch — as Trump did when he demolished the White House’s East Wing to build his ballroom without seeking approval from federal review panels or from Congress.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum — who has publicly touted plans to build the arch — has said that he has not approved it.
“A final decision on the undertaking will not be made until the National Capital Planning Commission completes its review,” Burgum wrote in an Oct. 9 letter to the commission.
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