Federal Panel to Weigh Final Approval of Trump's Triumphal Arch
The National Capital Planning Commission, a federal panel that reviews major building projects in Washington, is scheduled to meet Thursday to consider final approval of President Donald Trump's proposed triumphal arch. NPR reported that the arch is the only item on the agenda.
The arch would be 250 feet tall and would stand in Memorial Circle on Columbia Island, at the west end of Arlington Memorial Bridge. Final renderings submitted to the commission show it topped with three gold statues and an eternal flame.
The meeting will be held online only. NPR reported that it is expected to last about five hours because of heavy public participation. Nearly 120 people signed up to speak, and more than 100,000 people submitted comments opposing the arch.
The project has already cleared several earlier steps. In May 2026, the Commission of Fine Arts, a separate federal panel that reviews designs, approved the arch's design. That summer, the planning commission approved preliminary site and building plans. In September 2026, the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation ended its historic preservation review of the project.
Mark Paoletta, the chair of the planning commission, said ahead of the meeting that he would vote to approve the project. CNN reported that he called the project an "historic effort" by Trump. The New York Times reported that the panel is led by allies of the president.
Trump wants the arch approved on Thursday and work to begin right away, according to The Washington Post. The government has said construction may begin later on Thursday, the same day as the vote. The National Park Service said it may publish a notice as early as November 5, and construction could start as early as that date, according to The Hill.
A federal judge is weighing whether to block construction of the arch, according to Politico. The judge said a Supreme Court decision on Trump's ballroom does not necessarily control the fate of the arch. Separately, the Justice Department said the arch would not be completed until after Trump leaves office at the end of his second term, as Reuters reported.
