On Thursday morning, a small but vocal crowd converged on Memorial Circle in Washington, D.C., a bustling traffic roundabout that links the National Mall with Arlington National Cemetery. The gathering, organized by Public Citizen and allied groups, featured a tarp mock-up of President Trump’s envisioned 250-foot arch—a structure the protesters said would dwarf the surrounding historic landscape. Participants ranged from Vietnam-era veterans to current members of Congress, all chanting “no arch!” and echoing the sentiment that the project was both wasteful and disrespectful to America’s fallen.
The Thursday rally at Memorial Circle
Among the speakers was Jon Gundersen a retired Army officer and one of the three Vietnam veterans who filed a federal lawsuit against the administration. Gundersen, who traveled from South Carolina, declared, “It’s the wrong monument, in the wrong place, at the wrong time, dedicated to the wrong man.” He warned that tourists could stand beneath the towering structure while funerals proceeded at Arlington, calling the proposal “obscene.” Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) added a personal note, stating, “I am pissed that the five-time draft-dodging coward of a commander-in-chief dares to dishonor the men and women who lie at rest in Arlington.” Both Gundersen and Duckworth stressed that honoring veterans should focus on services and benefits, not on a flamboyant monument.
Legal challenges and federal review
Public Citizen’s lawsuit, filed in February, argues that any new commemorative work on the National Mall-Arlington axis requires explicit congressional authorization under the 1906 Commemorative Works Act. The administration counters that a 1925 law governing development around the Arlington Memorial Bridge provides sufficient authority. Meanwhile, the National Capital Planning Commission is slated to review the project in early November, and the National Park Service has already completed an environmental assessment that found “no significant impact,” though this does not equal final approval. In late September, the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation abruptly ended its review, promising to send recommendations directly to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum by Oct. 7, a move described by council member Charles Birnbaum as an attempt to “nullify outside voices.”
Political dimensions and the road ahead
Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Tammy Duckworth along with Representative Don Beyer (D-VA), joined the demonstrators, each offering distinct criticisms. Merkley framed the arch as a “violation of our Constitution and the separation of powers” because Congress has neither authorized nor funded it. Beyer warned that the structure’s proximity to the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington House could disrupt the visual corridor linking these sites, asking, “Who are the snipers going to shoot — the families at the graves or the tourists at the Lincoln Memorial?” Duckworth, ranking Democrat on the Senate Commerce aviation subcommittee, appealed to the Pentagon and the FAA to block the proposal, citing safety concerns over the administration’s suggestion that the arch could house drones, snipers and ammunition.
The protest also touched on the upcoming midterm elections, which could shift the balance of power in Congress. Duckworth noted that a Democratic majority could cut off federal funding for the arch, while Merkley highlighted that a single Republican senator had already blocked a broader funding veto earlier in the week. As the legal battle continues—Judge Tanya Chutkan’s order still requires a 48-hour notice before any construction-related activity—the protesters pledged to maintain a presence at Memorial Circle, prepared to “grab a shovel” if the arch ever breaks ground.
