1. United States
2. Ohio
3. Letter

I am writing as your constituent to demand immediate congressional action regarding the proposed 250-foot "triumphal arch" at Memorial Circle. The National Capital Planning Commission is set to consider final approval on November 5—yet Congress has never cast a single vote to authorize this structure.  Asked who this massive monument is for, President Trump answered: "Me." Beyond the shocking egoism of that statement, the physical and spatial toll this project will inflict on America’s most sacred national ground is unacceptable: - Shadowing 75,000 Veterans' Graves: Independent 3D modeling shows this 250-foot structure will cast a literal shadow over Arlington National Cemetery on 284 days each year, darkening the resting places of over 75,000 veterans across four American wars.  - Adverse Impact on Historic Landmarks: The National Park Service’s own Section 106 filings acknowledge adverse visual effects on nearly 40 historic capital landmarks, including the visual axis between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington House. - Unlawful Statutory Circumvention: Memorial Circle sits squarely within Area I under the Commemorative Works Act (CWA), which mandates explicit congressional authorization. The administration’s claim that a 1925 bridge authorization—which capped funds at $14.75 million a century ago—somehow authorizes an unvetted, 250-foot personal arch in 2026 is an indefensible bypass of Article I authority. Congress has authorized over 40 memorials under the CWA, requiring rigorous design, historical, and environmental vetting for every monument honoring American heroes. A personal monument that casts a literal shadow over fallen service members must not evade that process.  I urge you to take immediate legislative and oversight action: 1. Demand Immediate Disclosures: Demand that the Department of the Interior produce full cost estimates, private donor identities, and its formal legal justification for bypassing a CWA vote before any ground is broken. 2. Cut Off Appropriations: Insert binding language into pending interior and defense spending bills barring any federal funds, matching dollars, or agency staff from assisting in site preparation or construction without explicit congressional authorization. 3. Hold Emergency Oversight Hearings: Convene joint oversight hearings compelling the Secretary of the Interior and the National Park Service Director to testify under oath regarding the visual and physical degradation of Arlington Cemetery. 4. Force an Article I Floor Vote: Introduce or co-sponsor legislation affirming that the Commemorative Works Act governs Memorial Circle, making unauthorized groundbreaking an actionable federal violation. Congress enacted the Commemorative Works Act precisely to protect our capital and national memorials from arbitrary executive overreach. Reclaim your constitutional authority before bulldozers alter the gates of Arlington National Cemetery.