A senior House Democrat has urged Speaker Mike Johnson to sue the Trump administration over plans to begin work on a proposed triumphal arch in Washington, arguing that Congress has not approved funding or authorised the project.
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Representative Chellie Pingree, the top Democrat on the House subcommittee overseeing funding for national parks, made the request in a letter to Johnson on Tuesday, Reuters reported.
"Congress has neither appropriated funding nor granted authority for this project," Pingree wrote. She accused the administration of moving ahead on the project despite the lack of congressional approval and asked Johnson to "file suit immediately" to prevent further work.
Last week, US District Judge Tanya Chutkan ordered the administration to give the court at least 48 hours' notice before carrying out work at the site. The order followed an announcement by the Interior Department that it intended to begin work despite the ongoing challenge and the monument not yet having received final approval from a federal planning body.
The court order does allow archaeological work required under the National Historic Preservation Act. This includes digging to establish whether the site contains underground archaeological or cultural material.
The government told the court it plans to excavate four test pits from September 21 or later. The work is expected to be completed with the site restored by October 31.
