Trumps D.C.-area arch expected to be approved, but without sniper or drone plans

The National Capital Planning Commission is expected to vote Thursday to approve President Donald Trump’s massive — and controversial — “Triumphal Arch” for Washington, D.C., with construction scheduled to begin almost immediately.The commission, led by Trump appointees, is considered likely to give the project a green light after a hearing in which numerous area residents had lined up to voice their opposition to the project, which would sit in Memorial Circle between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington Cemetery.Mark Paoletta, the Office of Management and Budget general counsel who was appointed chairman of the commission in August, said in remarks at the meeting that it was a “national disgrace” that such a memorial had not already been built, and praised Trump’s “monumental vision.” He said it would be “the grandest arch ever built by mankind.” Opponents, including the governments of Virginia and the District of Columbia, are seeking an emergency court order blocking the construction from moving forward, arguing the project is illegal.They’ve already asked a judge to immediately halt any construction in a bid to head off possible legal gamesmanship by the administration, citing its earlier destruction of the East Wing of the White House to build a ballroom that includes national security measures.

“It is entirely foreseeable that, once construction begins, Defendants will argue, as they have done in other cases, that an order halting construction would irreparably harm the federal government, pose security risks, and impermissibly alter the status quo they have unilaterally created,” they said.“The Court should not allow this cynical gambit to succeed.”U.S.

District Judge Tanya Chutkan has asked to be notified after the commission’s vote.Trump has said the arch would celebrate the nation’s 250th anniversary and include a military complex with drones and snipers that he said would be important for national security.

The fin...