White House exploits loophole to skip rules — and fast-track Trump's vanity arch
The Trump administration sought to sidestep federal contracting rules to fast-track work on the president's proposed Triumphal Arch by piggybacking on an existing contract to avoid a public bidding process, according to newly revealed documents.
The Washington Post obtained emails showing the Trump administration is attempting to bypass standard competitive bidding procedures to accelerate work on the proposed 250-foot arch near Arlington National Cemetery by leveraging an existing White House engineering contract with AECOM Services.
Park Service acting director Jessica Bowron requested permission April 22 to extend a White House contract for environmental assessment work to the arch site, which sits on National Park Service land across the Potomac River, more than a mile from the White House complex, and within an hour of her email White House officials approved the request.
The arrangement would circumvent the typical bidding process and allow the administration to meet its self-imposed timeline for completing environmental testing before the nation's 250th anniversary on July 4. Heavy machinery was already at the site Monday, according to administration filings.
Contracting experts expressed concern about the approach. Stan Soloway, former Pentagon acquisition official and board chair of the National Academy of Public Administration, called it "a real stretch" to extend a White House campus contract to an arch site miles away.
The administration cited the Economy Act, which permits federal agencies to purchase services from other agencies, but experts said the law should only be used when an agency lacks procurement capability.
"You lose the benefits of competition, pricing and transparency," said contracting attorney Alan Chvotkin, describing the potential harm to taxpayers.
The Park Service estimated the arch work at $600,000. AECOM has received substantial White House contracts worth up to $695 million combined, including work on Trump's proposed ballroom and other high-profile projects.
The Interior Department disputed characterizations of the arrangement, claiming draft emails obtained by the Post did not represent final determinations. An anonymous administration official defended the approach as more economical and efficient.
The arch project remains controversial. Vietnam War veterans and a historian have sued, alleging the monument would obstruct the view between Arlington National Cemetery and the Lincoln Memorial. The Commission on Fine Arts approved the design despite receiving approximately 1,000 public comments opposing the project.
This contracting approach mirrors the administration's broader pattern of circumventing standard procedures for ambitious Washington reconstruction projects.
In 15 months, the administration has demolished the White House East Wing, painted the Lincoln Memorial's reflecting pool blue, claimed control of a public golf course and begun renovating the Kennedy Center — all generating legal challenges alleging the projects violate federal law.
The Park Service has not officially authorized arch construction, though environmental testing is underway.