President Donald Trump’s push to build a towering triumphal arch near Arlington National Cemetery has hit another legal hurdle — this time from a neighboring county government.
The Arlington County Board filed suit Thursday in the Eastern District of Virginia, seeking to stop construction until federal officials complete what the county argues is a legally required environmental review.
According to the ABC News report, Arlington became the first governmental body to sue over the planned monument, adding a new challenge to a project already facing litigation from veterans and a historian.
The proposed 250-foot Triumphal Arch would stand at Memorial Circle, on federal parkland between Arlington Memorial Bridge and Arlington National Cemetery.
County Accuses Administration Of Rushing Review
The lawsuit alleges the National Park Service is racing toward construction while treating the review process as a formality.
“The National Park Service, the agency responsible for projects on national park land such as Memorial Circle, is proceeding full-speed toward ground-disturbing construction,” the complaint states, according to ABC News.
The county wants the court to halt work until the agency adequately evaluates the project’s effects under the National Environmental Policy Act.
Arlington’s attorneys argue the review failed to sufficiently consider traffic congestion, emergency vehicle access and potential changes to aircraft operations at nearby Reagan National Airport. The county attorney’s office is pursuing the case with legal advocacy organization Democracy Forward.
“The Arlington County Board has filed this lawsuit because our community has the most to lose from this egregious and unlawful proposed project,” Board Chair Matt de Ferranti said in a statement.
Those allegations remain contested; filing the lawsuit does not itself stop construction.
Veterans’ Lawsuit And Safety Concerns Add Pressure
The county’s case opens another front in an existing legal battle.
Three veterans and an architectural historian have separately challenged the project in federal court in Washington, arguing that it requires congressional authorization and would obstruct historic views between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery.
According to the supplied ABC News report, the judge overseeing that case has required the administration to provide 48 hours’ notice before undertaking construction-related activities.
The administration has previously argued that a century-old law concerning Arlington Memorial Bridge authorizes the arch. Justice Department lawyers have also challenged the plaintiffs’ standing and called that lawsuit premature, ABC News reported in June.
The project has also drawn objections from Association of Flight Attendants-CWA President Sara Nelson, particularly after Trump announced plans to incorporate military uses.
Trump said in a September social media post that the arch would house drones, provide positions for snipers and store ammunition. He attributed the proposal to a military request; the Pentagon declined to comment when asked by ABC News.
Aviation concerns are disputed. ABC News reported in June that an initial FAA feasibility review found no significant adverse effect on airport airspace or flight procedures, while identifying a need for obstruction lighting and a subsequent full aeronautical study.
White House Defends The Monument
The White House continues to champion the project.
Officials told FOX 5 DC the arch would become an iconic landmark and improve the experience for veterans, military families and other visitors to Arlington National Cemetery.
Interior has also previously defended its review process, telling ABC News in September that it would follow applicable laws and regulations. The department said it had received more than 100,000 public comments and extended comment periods to encourage discussion.
Now Arlington is asking a federal judge to force a pause — raising another obstacle to Trump’s effort to reshape Washington’s skyline.
