I’m a Vet. Trump Wants a Vanity Arch Over Arlington’s Dead. Tomorrow I Testify to Stop it.

I’m standing in Memorial Circle in Washington, D.C., directly in front of Arlington National Cemetery, where the brothers and sisters I served with, and generations who served before me, are laid to rest.This spot was built after the Civil War as a sacred sightline connecting Arlington House and the Lincoln Memorial. Trump now wants to erect an arch here, one he has said himself is for him.Under his plan, construction runs 20 hours a day for the next two to two and a half years. Arlington holds between 20 and 30 funerals a day. That means families burying their loved ones will never get a moment of silence, only the circus of construction now and bright lights, crowds, and an observation tower later. They claim it won’t block the view between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington. I’ll be sharing images on my social media that show you absolutely will not.This is also lawlessness. Trump moved to do this without the authorization of Congress and without proper procedure, on National Park Service land. My parents are retired National Park rangers who spent their careers protecting this country’s lands and history for future generations, and he would wipe that out to build a monolith to himself. Private funds or not, the result is the same.We asked our service members to give everything. The least we owe them is silence. I’m testifying before the National Capital Planning Commission to help stop this arch.Call your representatives. Talk to your loved ones. If you know a service member, tell them you care about them. Don’t let this pass in silence. Trump is counting on the chaos to drown it out, and we’re here to make sure no one forgets.The National Capital Planning Commission takes up the arch at its public meeting Thursday, July 9, 2026, at 1:00 PM ET (hybrid, in person and virtual). Meeting info and how to comment:https://www.ncpc.gov/review/meeting/https://www.ncpc.gov Get full access to The Rogue Voice aka Linsay Rousseau at linsayrousseau.substack.com/subscribe