President Donald Trump’s plans to reshape Washington, DC, face new obstacles now that Democrats have won control of Congress.
The projects include a renovation and renaming of the Kennedy Center, a rebuild of the East Potomac public golf course, a 250-foot triumphal arch at Memorial Circle, and a National Garden of American Heroes. Democrats have criticised the plans for months, but their influence was limited while Republicans controlled Congress.
That changes in January, when the new Congress convenes. Representative Don Beyer of Virginia said Democrats would use control of the appropriations process to challenge the projects, starting on January 3. Representative Jared Huffman, the top Democrat on the House Natural Resources Committee, said the party would use its investigative powers to examine the work.
The arch already hit a legal wall. The National Capital Planning Commission approved it by an 8-4 vote on Thursday after a public hearing lasting nine and a half hours. Hours later, a federal judge issued a 14-day order blocking construction while lawsuits from veterans, Virginia and the District of Columbia move forward.
The price tags are still coming into focus. Congress has already allocated $257 million for the Kennedy Center renovation, and court filings put seawall work at the golf course at more than $300 million.
Trump made his first public appearance after the election on Wednesday at the construction site of his White House ballroom, where he signed the last steel beam.
Source: TBS News
