{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://beyer.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=9226", "Beyer Demands Answers About Equipment at Proposed Arch Site", "2026-09-24", "2026", "2026-09", "Democrat", "House", "VA", "Donald S. Beyer, Jr.", "B001292", "beyer.house.gov", "beyer", "https://beyer.house.gov/news/documentquery.aspx?DocumentTypeID=27", "scraper", "Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA), who represents a Northern Virginia district that includes Arlington National Cemetery and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA), issued the following statement after visiting the site of President Trump\u2019s proposed 250-foot arch in response to reports from constituents of construction equipment at the site:\n\n\u201cThis morning, after hearing from constituents who saw construction equipment at the site of Trump\u2019s proposed vanity arch, I drove down to Columbia Island to see for myself. When I arrived, I found workers operating heavy equipment who told me they were conducting archaeological work to evaluate the composition of the soil. When I asked whether this work was a precursor to construction of the arch, they said that they could not answer. The logical conclusion, however, is that the presence of this heavy equipment and additional surveyors is a clear indication that the Trump Administration is preparing to move forward with construction.\n\n\u201cThat would be deeply troubling. Trump\u2019s arch is illegal and immoral, and the Administration is also under court order requiring 48 hours\u2019 notice before work proceeds. Yet, the Administration appears to be pushing ahead with activity at the site even while it still has not done the basic work necessary to understand the consequences of this project. There has been no adequate assessment of the regional impacts of this 250-foot structure on public safety, vehicular traffic, air traffic, or historic sites, including the implications of Trump\u2019s latest ravings about using the arch as a base for drone and sniper operations.\n\n\u201cDonald Trump and his Administration are determined to find a way to push this project through by any means necessary, regardless of the law or the concerns of the people who live here but my constituents have made their views abundantly clear: they do not want this project. Neither do I. I will continue doing everything in my power to stop this illegal and reckless attempt to turn our nation\u2019s capital into a monument to Donald Trump.\u201d\n\nRep. Don Beyer is leading congressional efforts to block construction of Trump\u2019s arch. His Northern Virginia district includes the Arlington National Cemetery, where his parents, grandparents, and sister are buried. He is the author of the Arlington National Cemetery Viewshed Protection Act, which would explicitly prohibit construction of the arch. He previously raised concerns about the projects impacts on traffic in the region, which the Trump Administration has yet to address. The arch has been a consistent source of anger and concern to Beyer\u2019s constituents, who like much of the country, vociferously oppose the project.", 1, "2026-09-25T10:04:52Z", "2026-09-25T10:05:46Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://beyer.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=9226"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.4658239670097828, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}