Congress Must Stop the President’s Architectural Abuse of Washington

As a constituent, I write to urge immediate Congressional action to stop the President’s escalating architectural interventions in Washington, D.C., which threaten the historic character, civic balance, and long-term stewardship of the Nation’s Capital. While the President exercises authority over federal projects, that authority has never been absolute when permanent alterations to Washington’s core monuments and sightlines are at stake. Unilateral, irreversible changes to the capital require Congressional intervention now. THE PRESIDENT IS PURSUING A MASSIVE TRIUMPHAL ARCH WITHOUT PUBLIC CONSENT Reporting confirms that President Trump is actively pursuing plans to construct an enormous triumphal arch - widely referred to as the “Arc de Trump” - near the National Mall and Arlington Memorial Bridge. Current proposals would make the structure roughly 250 feet (25 stories) tall, exceeding the height of the Lincoln Memorial and dramatically altering protected sightlines that have defined Washington for generations. Washington, D.C. is governed by strict federal height limits designed to preserve sightlines, proportionality, and the symbolic balance of the capital, with monumental exceptions historically used sparingly and only with broad public and Congressional consensus. Such a monument would impose a single political identity on shared national space and permanently distort the visual and symbolic balance of the capital. EXECUTIVE CONTROL IS BEING USED TO BYPASS HISTORIC REVIEW AND PUBLIC INPUT These plans are advancing through executive influence over federal land-use authorities, design review bodies, and preservation processes that were explicitly created to prevent unilateral action of this kind. By accelerating approvals and reshaping oversight, the President is sidelining expert review, public participation, and statutory safeguards designed to protect historic federal landscapes from politicized alteration. This is a process failure independent of any view on the project’s aesthetics. THIS ARCHITECTURAL AGENDA CREATES A DANGEROUS INSTITUTIONAL PRECEDENT The proposed arch is not an isolated decision. It reflects a governing approach that centralizes permanent architectural decisions in the executive branch, including large-scale alterations to White House grounds and an effort to privilege a narrow architectural vision across federal projects. The risk is institutional, not personal: once normalized, this authority would be inherited intact by every future President, regardless of party or restraint. CONGRESS MUST REASSERT ITS CONSTITUTIONAL ROLE OVER THE NATION’S CAPITAL Congress has both the authority and the responsibility to intervene when presidential actions threaten the long-term integrity of Washington, D.C. Federal land use, monument construction, and preservation policy are not executive prerogatives alone. Congressional action here would not be interference, but fulfillment of the oversight role Congress itself designed to prevent precisely this category of irreversible change. I therefore urge Congress to immediately: (1) Suspend all approvals and funding related to the proposed triumphal arch. (2) Hold oversight hearings on the use of executive power in federal architectural decisions. (3) Reinforce statutory protections governing the National Mall and surrounding federal lands. (4) Reaffirm that major architectural interventions in Washington require transparent, lawful approval. Washington belongs to the American people, not to any one President. Congress must act now to defend that principle.