Democrats have questions about Trump’s new arch — and Burgum’s potential perjury

By MS NOW

May 14, 2026, 8:08 PM EST

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The top Democrat on the House Natural Resources Committee is accusing Interior Sec. Doug Burgum of — at the very least — coming “pretty damn close” to perjuring himself before Congress when testifying this week about President Donald Trump’s proposed memorial arch.

On Wednesday, under questioning from Rep. Jared Huffman, D-Calif., Burgum said that while there has been a “discussion” about the arch project, so far there is “no final agency action around building something” at the site.

There is “not a proposal,” Burgum said.

However, Huffman — who paid a visit Thursday to the proposed site for the structure for a press conference — told MS NOW that things have unquestionably progressed beyond the “discussion” stage.

The proposed location for the 250 foot arch is a traffic circle between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery, on the Virginia side of the Potomac River.

On Thursday, MS NOW observed two fenced-off, curtain-covered areas in the circle — with workers operating equipment inside one of the fences.

“You would have to be a fool not to understand what’s going on behind these little curtains,” Huffman told MS NOW.

“This is not a discussion,” Huffman said. “They’re breaking ground in furtherance of this ‘Arch de Trump’ monument that the president is stubbornly pushing ahead — without congressional approval, without following the law, without a public notice.”

“This is the East Wing ballroom all over again,” he added.

In a letter sent to Burgum on Thursday, Huffman offered the secretary “the opportunity to revise or clarify your statements,” noting that it is “a federal crime to make false statements to Congress.”

In a statement to MS NOW, a spokesperson for the Department of the Interior said that “site surveys, such as geotechnical work, have started in Memorial Circle which is statutorily required.”

The spokesperson said those surveys are “standard practice to test the grounds and soil” and “required before providing a final proposal.”

The spokesperson also defended Burgum, saying the secretary was “100% accurate in his testimony in front of Congress. We cannot speak to the lack of compliance understanding by Members of Congress.”

Trump first started publicly toying with the idea of an arch in 2025, even displaying models in the Oval Office. The proposed structure has grown in size, from 76 feet initially to now 250 feet.