A group of six lawmakers sent a letter on Monday to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, Acting Director of the National Park Service (NPS) Jessica Bowron and one other official alerting them that they have \u201cno power to build\u201d a triumphal arch without approval from Congress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe 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,\u201d Sens. Angus King (I-Maine), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Jeff Merkley (Ore.) and Democratic Reps. Jared Huffman (Calif.), Maxine Dexter (Ore.) and Yaasmin Ansari (Ariz.) wrote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSection 106 [of the National Historic Preservation Act] 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,\u201d they added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Five representatives and one lone senator said that efforts to erect a 250-foot triumphal arch violate the Height of Buildings Act under its current dimensions and the Commemorative Works Act, which requires congressional approval to erect structures on federal land.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cA departure of this magnitude from the capital\u2019s settled vertical order is precisely the kind of decision the law reserves to Congress,\u201d lawmakers wrote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBeyond its illegality, the Arch would deface one of the most deliberate and historic sightlines in America,\u201d they added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Their concern for the project comes amid a lawsuit from Vietnam War veterans, who shared objections to the project on the same grounds as members of Congress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Two House Democrats also introduced a bill in an attempt to block Trump\u2019s project located in between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, last month, the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts approved a modified design for the arch set to be located in Memorial Circle on Columbia Island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Trump administration has also maintained that projects on land owned by the Interior Department aren\u2019t subject to congressional approval.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIn America\u2019s 250th year, President Trump wants to fulfill this vision and build the Triumphal Arch to celebrate the triumphs of the American people, inspires patriotism and love of country, and beautify our nation\u2019s capital,\u201d a department spokesperson told The Hill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe arch will also enhance the visitor experience at Arlington National Cemetery for veterans, the families of the fallen, and all Americans alike, serving as a visual reminder of the noble sacrifices borne by so many American heroes throughout our 250-year history so we can enjoy our freedoms today,\u201d they added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, lawmakers warned the White House and slated contractors of the project\u2019s illegality in their Monday letter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNo valid authority has been conferred here. Every official who directs this work, and every firm that performs it, proceeds at their own peril,\u201d lawmakers wrote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIf the Administration believes the semiquincentennial warrants a permanent commemorative work in the capital, the path is open and well worn; it runs through Congress, as it has for every memorial since the Continental Congress approved the first, an equestrian statue of George Washington, in 1783,\u201d they concluded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n