Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) sent a formal letter on Friday to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford, calling on both agencies to reject plans proposed by President Trump. The proposal involves the construction of a triumphal arch in Washington, D.C., which would reportedly function as a military site capable of launching drones.

Duckworth’s primary argument centers on the safety of the capital's airspace. She contends that integrating a drone launch facility into a monument or arch within a densely populated urban area creates unnecessary security vulnerabilities and risks to civilian aviation. By addressing the letter to the heads of the Department of Defense and the FAA, Duckworth is seeking to leverage federal regulatory oversight to block the project before it moves forward.

While the proposal is framed by the Senator as a safety concern, the project is part of a broader initiative championed by the President. The Hill reports that Duckworth is specifically concerned about the dual-use nature of the structure, questioning the necessity and safety of housing military-grade drone technology within a public-facing architectural project. As of now, neither the Pentagon nor the FAA has issued a formal response to the Senator’s request, and the President’s office has not provided a detailed rebuttal to the specific safety concerns raised in the letter.