Sen. Tammy Duckworth sent a letter Thursday urging the head of the Federal Aviation Administration to resist any pressure from President Donald Trump to prioritize construction of his planned triumphal arch over aviation safety.
The letter from the Illinois senator, the top Democrat on the Senate’s aviation subcommittee, adds to over Trump’s proposed 250-foot (76-meter) arch for the nation’s capital. to commemorate the , it would be more than twice as tall as the Lincoln Memorial.
Duckworth wrote that the FAA鈥檚 initial review of appears to have been expedited and raised questions about whether the president or his White House aides are 鈥渁lready improperly pressuring FAA to prioritize rubberstamping Trump鈥檚 vanity arch over public safety.鈥�
Officials are looking to complete within three years, possibly requiring 20 hours of work per day and cranes up to 320 feet (106 meters) tall, according to a National Park Service preliminary report, which Duckworth cited in her letter to FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford.
The agency said it would respond directly to Duckworth.
The arch’s close proximity to the complex airspace of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, where a U.S. Army last year, killing 67 people, was a key concern for Duckworth.
The crash 鈥渦nderscores the consequences of inadequate coordination and the need for extreme caution when evaluating any new obstruction in this environment,鈥� she wrote. The FAA must be 鈥渇irm in rejecting any improper or irresponsible pressure” from Trump on the matter.
In a previous statement, the FAA said that a preliminary feasibility study found 鈥渘o adverse impacts to operations鈥� at the nearby airport. The top of the structure, however, would need to be lit with red obstruction lights, which it called 鈥渁 common safety tool.鈥�
The agency said a full study in coordination with the park service would come next.
Duckworth added another concern in her letter, that the arch would interrupt the historic sightline between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery, and thereby 鈥渙ffensively desecrate the hallowed symbolism.鈥�
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