Overview
- The administration, which said Wednesday it would submit the design Thursday, is sending the proposal to the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts for review.
- Renderings show a 250-foot arch on Columbia Island with a 60-foot gilded Lady Liberty–style figure, gold eagles and lions, and the phrases “One Nation Under God” and “Liberty and Justice for All.”
- Veterans and watchdogs have sued, saying the Commemorative Works Act requires Congress to authorize new monuments in the capital and arguing the arch would block the historic view between Arlington National Cemetery and the Lincoln Memorial.
- The White House has not released a cost, while reporting says the National Endowment for the Humanities reserved $2 million plus up to $13 million in matching funds, pointing to a mix of public and private financing.
- The review will come from a Commission now led by Trump appointees, a lineup critics say clouds impartiality as court challenges over authority and historic sightlines proceed.