Excavation Set to Begin on Trump's 250-foot DC Arch.

The Trump administration will start excavation work at Memorial Circle on Columbia Island within two weeks, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said Thursday.

• 250 feet tall, the arch would feature a golden Lady Liberty statue on top.
• 3 federal bodies — the National Park Service, Commission of Fine Arts, and National Capital Planning Commission — have approved the project.
• NPS found the arch would adversely affect sightlines to the Lincoln Memorial and nearby sites.
• Trump first announced the arch, then called the 'Independence Arch,' in October 2025.

Why it matters: Columbia Island is federal land managed by the National Park Service, placing the project squarely under federal jurisdiction — and at the center of a legal fight over whether congressional approval is required.

• Veterans suing the administration argue the president cannot authorize a monument on NPS territory without Congress.

How 26 sources split on this story

Where they split: The core dispute is whether the president has authority to build a monument on NPS land without congressional authorization.

What’s next: Plaintiffs are seeking an injunction to stop construction before excavation begins.

• DOJ argued Thursday that the veterans lack legal standing to sue over the project.
• Will the district court grant an injunction before excavation begins?
• How will courts weigh the Supreme Court's East Wing Ballroom ruling against the veterans' standing arguments?