Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) is calling on the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to block a proposed triumphal arch near the Lincoln Memorial, warning the project poses safety risks in the capital’s highly restricted airspace.
In a letter sent Thursday, Duckworth said the proposal is a personal distraction by President Donald Trump that undermines more urgent national priorities. The Illinois lawmaker urged the FAA to protect its personnel and budget by refusing to review the plan.
“President Trump choosing to force the FAA to invest limited staff and resources into a distracting review of his gaudy and disgraceful arch is merely the latest example of Trump putting his pet projects first, while neglecting America’s needs,” Duckworth wrote. “This wasteful and dangerous project is particularly irresponsible given the FAA’s ongoing efforts to implement safety enhancements in and around DCA [Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport] following the preventable DCA collision in late January 2025, the deadliest domestic air crash since the 2009 Colgan tragedy.”
The proposed arch would stand approximately 259 feet tall and draws inspiration from Paris’s Arc de Triomphe. National Park Service estimates show construction could continue for up to 20 hours a day over two to three years, requiring cranes exceeding 300 feet in height.
The project is already hitting a wall in Congress. This month, six lawmakers sent a letter to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and the National Park Service, arguing the administration does not have the legal authority to build it without a green light from Capitol Hill. They further contended that the proposal may conflict with federal laws governing building heights and memorial construction on government property.
“We oppose this project in the strongest terms and object to execution of the draft Programmatic Agreement. The National Park Service (NPS) is assessing the effects of an undertaking that Congress has never authorized and that two federal statutes squarely prohibit,” the letter reads. “Section 106 consultation cannot supply that missing authority, and no programmatic agreement can resolve the adverse effects of a project the NPS has no power to build.”
After an initial review, the FAA said the arch is tall enough and close enough to local airports that it would require aviation warning lights. While the agency found no immediate signs that the structure would disrupt flights at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, it noted that a lot of technical analysis remains.
FAA officials confirmed they will launch a full aeronautical study alongside the National Park Service. The agency also stated it plans to address Duckworth’s concerns directly.
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