House Democrats and Republicans clashed Wednesday over President Donald Trump's proposal to construct the Triumphal Arch in Washington, with lawmakers divided over whether Congress should take steps to prevent the project from moving forward.

The dispute unfolded during a House Appropriations Committee markup of the fiscal 2027 Interior and Environment spending bill, where Democrats unsuccessfully sought to add language blocking federal support for the proposed structure, Politico reported.

The committee voted 32-24 along party lines to reject an amendment offered by Rep. Chellie Pingree of Maine, the top Democrat on the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Subcommittee.

Her proposal would have prohibited construction of the arch, which Trump has promoted as part of an effort to reshape the capital's monumental landscape.

Pingree argued the project would detract from one of the nation's most revered sites.

"The historic view from Arlington National Cemetery should not be desecrated by this arch," she said during the committee debate. "It should not be overshadowed by a monument to one man's ego."

Democrats contended Congress should make clear that lawmakers, not the executive branch, determine how federal land and taxpayer funds are used.

Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md., said Congress needed to assert its authority over federal construction projects.

"We are the policymakers," Hoyer said, arguing that elected lawmakers should decide which projects are built using public resources.

Republicans, however, said the amendment was unnecessary because the spending bill under consideration does not provide funding for the proposed arch.

Rep. Mike Simpson, R-Idaho, who chairs the subcommittee, repeatedly emphasized that the legislation contains no money for the project.

"This is an appropriations bill. We fund things," Simpson said during a heated exchange.

"There is no money in this bill for an arch."

Simpson argued lawmakers should focus on provisions directly tied to spending contained in the measure rather than hypothetical future projects.

"Why don't we also say that you can't put a man on the moon or you can't put a man on Mars?" he asked.

Although Simpson opposed the amendment, he indicated he was not personally enthusiastic about the proposal itself.

"Now, you haven't asked me what I think about the arch. I don't particularly like it," Simpson said.

"But you know what? That's not in this bill."