{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.heinrich.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/heinrich-demands-trump-admin-immediately-halt-construction-of-trumps-250-foot-arch", "Heinrich Demands Trump Admin Immediately Halt Construction of Trump\u2019s 250-Foot Arch", "2026-09-22", "2026", "2026-09", "Democrat", "Senate", "NM", "Martin Heinrich", "H001046", "www.heinrich.senate.gov", "heinrich", "https://www.heinrich.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 Today, U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, led his Senate colleagues in sending a letter to Department of the Interior (DOI) Secretary Doug Burgum demanding that the Trump administration stop work on President Trump\u2019s commemorative arch on federal property, which federal officials have admitted will harm historic sites on public lands, including Arlington National Cemetery and the Lincoln Memorial.\n\n\u201cWe write with our continued concern that President Trump\u2019s proposed 250-foot Triumphal Arch will cast a shadow over some of our nation\u2019s most historic monuments and memorials, as indicated in the National Park Service\u2019s (NPS) own assessment, and to renew our call for you to immediately halt work on the project,\u201d the lawmakers began.\n\nLate last year, the President unveiled a plan to build a towering arch near a number of historic sites and landmarks, including Arlington National Cemetery and the Lincoln Memorial. In response, Heinrich and his colleagues raised significant concerns about the legality of the arch and its impact on neighboring historic sites\u2014demanding the administration halt construction of the President\u2019s latest vanity project. Those concerns have proven to be accurate. NPS\u2019 own assessment now confirms what we all have known to be true.\n\n\u201cLast month\u2014under requirements set forth in section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act\u2014NPS concluded that the President\u2019s illegal arch could adversely affect 37 historic sites in and around the nation\u2019s capital,\u201d the lawmakers continued. \u201cThe proposed arch would have the most pronounced impact on the Memorial Avenue Corridor Cultural Landscape, Arlington Memorial Bridge, and Arlington National Cemetery Historic District. Other historic sites built decades ago, such as National Mall, U.S. Capitol, and Washington Monument, would also be affected by the construction of the arch. Section 106 is clear: the administration must seek to \u201cavoid, minimize, or mitigate,\u201d adverse harm to historic sites.\u201d\n\n\u201cPutting the President\u2019s ego ahead of these memorials adds another stain on this administration\u2019s legacy,\u201d the lawmakers continued.\n\nThe lawmakers ended their letter by demanding that the Trump administration halt work on its 250-foot arch.\n\nIn April, Heinrich voted against a resolution in Senate Republicans\u2019 budget resolution that allowed for the construction of Trump\u2019s arch.\n\nIn March, Heinrich joined lawmakers in filing an amicus brief that would stop President Trump\u2019s plan to construct a commemorative arch on federal property. The amicus brief argues that President Trump\u2019s plan is illegal unless Congress authorizes it.\n\nIn addition to Heinrich, the letter was signed by U.S. Senators Angus King (I-Maine), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), and Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.).\n\nYou can read the letter here and below.\n\nWe write with our continued concern that President Trump\u2019s proposed 250-foot Triumphal Arch will cast a shadow over some of our nation\u2019s most historic monuments and memorials, as indicated in the National Park Service\u2019s (NPS) own assessment, and to renew our call for you to immediately halt work on the project.\n\nLate last year, the President unveiled a plan to build a towering arch near a number of historic sites and landmarks, including Arlington National Cemetery and the Lincoln Memorial. In response, we raised significant concerns about the legality of the arch and its impact on neighboring historic sites\u2014demanding the Administration halt construction of the President\u2019s latest vanity project. Those concerns have proven to be accurate. NPS\u2019 own assessment now confirms what we all have known to be true.\n\nLast month\u2014under requirements set forth in section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act\u2014NPS concluded that the President\u2019s illegal arch could adversely affect 37 historic sites in and around the nation\u2019s capital. According to the assessment, the arch would impact the \u201cintegrity\u201d of historic sites and change \u201ccharacter-defining visual and spatial relationships.\u201d The proposed arch would have the most pronounced impact on the Memorial Avenue Corridor Cultural Landscape, Arlington Memorial Bridge, and Arlington National Cemetery Historic District. Other historic sites built decades ago, such as National Mall, U.S. Capitol, and Washington Monument, would also be affected by the construction of the arch. Section 106 is clear: the Administration must seek to \u201cavoid, minimize, or mitigate,\u201d adverse harm to historic sites.\n\nThis threat is no longer hypothetical. You recently announced that the Administration intends to begin excavation work on the arch within two weeks despite the project lacking final approval from the National Capital Planning Commission and required reviews of aviation safety and historic preservation impacts. The next day, the veterans challenging the arch in federal court asked the court to intervene before ground is broken, and U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan ordered the Administration to provide 48 hours\u2019 notice before undertaking any activity on Memorial Circle other than on-site information gathering. We share that same concern, and it underscores the urgency of our request.\n\nHistoric sites in and around the nation\u2019s capital have been carefully planned over decades and hold significant symbolic value to the nation and our shared history as Americans. In particular, the Lincoln Memorial, Arlington National Cemetery, and Arlington House form a single memorial landscape honoring the unity of our nation, its military history, and the ultimate sacrifice of service members who gave their lives to our nation. Putting the President\u2019s ego ahead of these memorials adds another stain on this Administration\u2019s legacy.\n\nThe Department should adhere to the highest standards in avoiding adverse impacts to some of our nation\u2019s most sacred memorials. We demand the Administration immediately halt work on the arch in light of the unavoidable damage it will do to these memorials to honor those who gave the greatest sacrifice for our nation\u2019s freedom.", 1, "2026-09-23T09:45:16Z", "2026-09-23T09:46:14Z"]], "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://www.heinrich.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/heinrich-demands-trump-admin-immediately-halt-construction-of-trumps-250-foot-arch"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.3783257454633713, "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"}