Senior House Appropriations Committee member Rep. Mike Simpson (R-Idaho) on Monday pushed back against the idea of using Pentagon funds to build President Trump's proposed triumphal arch, saying the military has more pressing financial needs.
“There's a lot of things that we need the military funding for — in fact, we're short on military funding right now,” Simpson told reporters, according to Politico. When asked directly whether he would support diverting defense dollars to the project, he was blunt: “If it was my choice, I wouldn't put any of that money into the arch.”
His remarks come after Trump took to Truth Social on Sunday to announce that the long-planned triumphal arch, intended to span the Potomac between Washington and Virginia, would be transformed into a “top grade military complex.” The president said the structure would house drones, snipers, and large stores of sniper ammunition, with security features on both its roof and plaza.
The proposed arch, if built, would stand 250 feet tall — making it the tallest memorial of its kind in the world, surpassing both Paris's Arc de Triomphe and Mexico City's Monumento a la Revolución. It would be situated at the Receptive Circle adjoining the Arlington Memorial Bridge, a site long associated with national reconciliation after the Civil War.
Simpson stressed that any use of appropriated funds for such a project should go through the normal congressional process. “They would come to Congress and ask for an appropriation for it if they're going to use appropriated dollars to do it,” he said, according to Politico.
The Idaho Republican's stance highlights growing unease among some lawmakers about the administration's willingness to repurpose military spending for non-defense priorities. The proposal comes amid broader debates over defense budgets and the administration's approach to national security spending.
It also adds to a pattern of friction between the White House and Capitol Hill over unilateral executive actions, including the recent press ban that has sparked legal challenges and drew both support and criticism.
While the arch project has historical roots dating back to the Civil War era, its current iteration as a military installation is new. Trump's announcement did not specify funding sources, but the use of Pentagon appropriations would require congressional approval — a hurdle that Simpson's comments suggest could be significant.
The military's existing shortfalls, Simpson noted, are already a concern. His opposition signals that even within the president's own party, there is resistance to reallocating defense funds for symbolic projects, especially when readiness and equipment needs remain unmet.
