Trump administration to dig at triumphal arch site despite no final federal approvals
asserted
administration → dig → approvals
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.
asserted
it → say → lawsuit
SCOTT SIMON, HOST:
The Trump administration says it'll soon break ground on a 250-foot triumphal arch without final federal approval and despite an ongoing lawsuit.
asserted
it → say → lawsuit
The veterans who brought that lawsuit have asked a judge to step in.
asserted
who → bring → judge
NPR's Rachel Treisman has been covering this saga and joins us now.
asserted
Treisman → cover → us
We're talking about an enormous arch, gold statues on top.
asserted
We → talk → 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.
asserted
that → build → Virginia
Did the judge stop it, or is the government forging ahead?
asserted
government → stop → it
Well, the government would like to.
asserted
government → like → ?
So as a reminder, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said Thursday that it would start excavation work within two weeks.
asserted
it → say → weeks
And that was surprising to people because the arch hasn't gotten final approval yet.
asserted
arch → get → approval
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.
uncertain
which → get → October
And several agencies are still conducting studies on the potential impacts of the arch, including on the nearby D.C. airport.
asserted
agencies → conduct → airport
A White House spokesperson told me they're only doing work that does not require approval and, quote, "helps in the process."
asserted
that → tell → process
Now, lawyers for the government clarified in a filing late Friday that they're talking about archaeological surveys, not construction.
asserted
they → clarify → surveys
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.
asserted
we → order → gathering
Rachel, remind us - who is fighting the construction and why?
asserted
who → remind → construction
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.
asserted
it → speak → arch
And then earlier this year, an architectural historian and three Vietnam War veterans sued.
asserted
historian → sue → ?
They said the arch would desecrate Arlington National Cemetery and requires approval from Congress.
asserted
arch → say → Congress
The Trump administration disagrees.
asserted
administration → disagree → ?
And it was those plaintiffs that asked the judge yesterday to issue a restraining order to block construction for two weeks.
asserted
that → ask → weeks
We have no sense of why the administration believes it's authorized to begin work on the arch.
asserted
it → have → arch
Nicholas Sansone, the lead attorney in the case, says any work at the proposed site is premature.
asserted
work → say → site
He says once construction starts, it might be hard for a court to offer any real relief.
uncertain
court → say → relief
And we saw that play out recently when Trump had the White House East Wing demolished to build a ballroom.
asserted
Wing → see → ballroom
Supreme Court issued a ruling on that ballroom this week.
asserted
Court → issue → ballroom
Does that have any bearing on the arch?
asserted
that → have → arch
Also, on Thursday, the Trump administration filed a motion asking the judge to dismiss the arch lawsuit altogether, and it specifically pointed to that Supreme Court ballroom ruling, which says the plaintiffs in that case didn't have legal standing to sue in the first place.
asserted
plaintiffs → file → place
Sansone, the lawyer, says that is definitely not the case with the Vietnam Veterans suing over the arch since they have a deep personal connection to the cemetery.
asserted
they → say → cemetery
But he says there's a lot at stake, even for people who don't.
asserted
who → say → people
A system where the executive branch essentially gets to build first and answer later the question of whether that building is lawful should trouble all of us.
asserted
building → get → us
I should say tens of thousands of critics from all over the country have submitted public comments as part of this review process.
asserted
thousands → say → process
They worry the arch would disrupt everything from traffic to funeral services at Arlington to views of the National Mall.
asserted
arch → worry → Mall
And, in fact, the National Park Service even acknowledged in a report last week that the arch would affect dozens of historic sites nearby, but it's still moving ahead.
asserted
it → acknowledge → sites
What are you watching for next in the story, Rachel?
asserted
you → watch → story
Well, government lawyers have said the work will start no sooner than September 21, and they say any natural resources affected would be restored by the end of October.
asserted
resources → say → October
And that basically brings us to midterm elections in early November.
asserted
that → bring → November
U.S. Representative Don Beyer, a Democrat from Northern Virginia, thinks that might explain President Trump's hurry.
uncertain
that → think → hurry
He has no one in the Republican Party willing to stand up to him on many, many different things.
asserted
He → have → things
…and 7 more, not listed.
The Aporia
