The Washington Post reports that Trump officials contend that the Trump Administration can build a 250-foot arch near Arlington National Cemetery without Congressional approval. According to Administration officials, Congressional approval isn’t needed because Congress approved a 1924 report by a Federal commission concerning the construction of the Arlington Memorial Bridge, and that report included plans for two 166-foot-tall columns that would have been topped with statues. (By the way, two columns topped by statues wouldn’t have been an arch, so the argument about Congressional approval of the 1924 report is even more of a stretch.) In any event, the bridge was constructed between 1926 and 1931, with a dedication and opening in 1932. The massive columns, however, were never built.
One would have thought that Congressional approval of the two tall columns would have lapsed decades ago, especially since the main topic of the report–the Arlington Memorial Bridge–has been open to the public for 94 years. But logic is not this Administration’s forte.
On the bright side, the Administration’s explanation for why it doesn’t need Congressional approval for Trump’s “Triumphal Arch” (almost certain to be renamed soon) is marginally better than Trump simply declaring that “I don’t need Congressional approval because I run this town, see?” (Spoken like Edward G. Robinson. If you don’t know who that is, you can probably find some clips on YouTube.)
Anyway, on the even brighter side, if Trump builds his vanity arch without Congressional approval, I am confident that, after he is gone, some good patriots will just tear it down (with or without Congressional approval).