A new lawsuit is seeking to block President Trump's plan to build a National Garden of American Heroes in Washington, adding another legal obstacle to his efforts to reshape the capital. The suit targets the proposed construction of the project in West Potomac Park, an area of protected federal land that sits next to the National Mall.
As envisioned, the project would create 250 life-size statues to be placed in West Potomac Park. According to a proposed planning document, the figures would range from the founding fathers to more recent Americans, with names cited including the boxer Muhammad Ali and the singer Whitney Houston, intended to honor figures from the country's past.
The administration is currently spending around 40 million dollars on the effort. The National Endowment for the Humanities has budgeted roughly 200,000 dollars per statue and is handing out that money to artists willing to contribute to the project, a process that is already underway.
The lawsuit accuses the Department of the Interior and the National Park Service of ignoring a congressional decree stating that no new commemorative works shall be located within the great cross axis of the mall, an area that includes West Potomac Park. On that basis, the group behind the suit is asking a federal judge to halt the project.
At the heart of the case is one of the more protected pieces of federal land in the country, which is subject to a range of laws. The suit cites the Commemorative Works Act, the National Historic Preservation Act and the National Environmental Policy Act, arguing the administration has so far failed to comply with them.
Specifically, the plaintiffs say the administration has not gone to Congress for approval and has not carried out the environmental reviews they argue would be required before such a project could move ahead. They also point to an 1897 law that established the park, which they say carries restrictions the statue garden does not currently meet.
The lawsuit frames the dispute as part of a broader pattern, contending that this is not the first time the president has tried to remake Washington without congressional sign-off. It points to other projects, including a planned arch, a ballroom at the White House and the repainting of the reflecting pool, that it says largely went forward without approval from Congress.
The administration has pushed back forcefully, calling the lawsuit beyond comprehension and accusing its backers of acting out of hostility to the president. Officials say they are complying with all necessary laws and note that Congress has appropriated 40 million dollars for the grants, arguing the project will follow the law and result in what they describe as a world-class statue garden.