Trump's towering arch clears another federal hurdle, despite public pushback

News Trump's towering arch clears another federal hurdle, despite public pushback May 21, 20264:49 PM ET By  Rachel Treisman An architect's rendering of the proposed arch, with the Memorial Bridge and Lincoln Memorial at right, is on display for the Fine Arts Commission hearing on Thursday. Rachel Treisman/NPR hide caption toggle caption Rachel Treisman/NPR The Commission of Fine Arts voted Thursday to give final approval to President Trump's towering arch between Arlington National Cemetery and the National Mall, despite overwhelming public pushback and numerous unanswered questions. That approval clears just one of the potential hurdles in the path to building a 250-foot structure in a traffic circle on the Virginia side of the Potomac River. Still, it moved faster than many expected. The commissioners — all appointed by Trump at the start of his term — had granted preliminary approval to the design at their April meeting. They had also asked for more information and suggested several revisions, only to greenlight a very similar version on Thursday morning. Sponsor Message National The many ways Trump wants to change D.C., from buildings to statues to parks "This continued desire to move things at a pace where the public doesn't have an opportunity to participate seems to be the MO of this administration and also the MO of this particular review board," Rebecca Miller, executive director of the D.C. Preservation League, told NPR after the vote. Monuments built on federal land in Washington generally require congressional approval. But speaking at the White House Thursday, Trump said he does not require Congressional approval for the arch. "We're doing it," he told reporters. "The land is owned by the secretary — by the Interior Department. We don't need anything from Congress." At the commission meeting, over the course of some two hours in a warm, crowded room in D.C.'s National Building Museum, commissioners sat at a long table lined with miniature models a...