Sen. Tammy Duckworth Calls for Rejection of Trump’s Proposed Military Arch in Washington, D.C.

Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) sent a letter to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford urging the Pentagon and the Federal Aviation Administration to block President Donald Trump’s proposal to convert a 250-foot commemorative arch—intended for the nation’s 250th anniversary—into a site for launching drones, stationing snipers and storing ammunition. Duckworth described the plan as “particularly outrageous” and a “foolhardy” diversion of agency resources away from aviation safety.

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In January 2025 an American Airlines jet collided with an Army Black Hawk helicopter near Reagan Washington National Airport, killing 67 people—the deadliest U.S. aviation disaster since 2001. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) issued 52 safety recommendations in response: 35 directed to the FAA, 13 to the Department of Defense, and the remainder to other stakeholders. To date the FAA has fully addressed only three recommendations; the NTSB has labeled the agency’s responses to 11 others “unacceptable.” All recommendations aimed at the Pentagon remain open. In July, NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy warned that each day without full implementation poses a risk to the flying public.

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• FAA evaluation released after months of review concluded that the structure would not pose a hazard to aircraft operating in the city’s approach path, though the assessment did not factor in potential military drone operations.

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• NTSB Chair Homendy reiterated that delayed implementation of safety recommendations endangers the public.

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• Senator Duckworth asked whether the FAA had considered the arch for military use in its safety study, whether any request for drone operations had been received, and which military entity, if any, had proposed converting the arch into a fortified site. She requested written answers by early October.

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• Representative Don Beyer (D-Va.) labeled the idea of a drone-launching arch “stupid, dangerous, and unworkable,” echoing concerns about aviation safety.

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• Arch height: 250 feet.

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• Fatalities in the 2025 collision: 67.

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• NTSB safety recommendations issued: 52 (35 for FAA, 13 for Pentagon).

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• FAA actions on recommendations: 3 fully addressed; 11 responses deemed unacceptable.

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• FAA’s safety assessment: determined no risk to airspace, excluding drone considerations.

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• “The Trump administration’s failure to faithfully and urgently implement NTSB’s recommendations is compounded by FAA and DoD wasting finite time and attention to stroke President Trump’s fragile ego by focusing efforts on approvals for the construction of his pathetic arch,” — Sen. Tammy Duckworth

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