/scanPolitics & policy
Trump's 250-foot arch: test pits by September 21, a court demanding 48 hours' notice
Interior Secretary Burgum announced excavation on the 250-foot arch on Columbia Island within two weeks. Veterans suing to stop it asked Judge Tanya Chutkan for a restraining order.
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What starts
Government lawyers say it is an archaeological survey of four test pits, no earlier than September 21, restored by October 31. Full construction would take two to three years.
What is missing
No final approval from the National Capital Planning Commission, an unfinished FAA review, and no act of Congress. The administration cites a century-old Memorial Bridge statute.
The court
Chutkan questioned the president's authority in April, when the government agreed to 14 days' notice. She has now ordered 48 hours' notice before any activity. No ruling yet.