His Democratic allies, Cleaver said, will likely drop off with him, sparing themselves from criticism.
Chance for Survival?
Norton thinks there might still be a chance for compromise.
At a hearing on Poe’s bill last week at the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on National Parks, Forest and Public Land, Peter May of the National Park Service indicated that the legislation in its current form could run afoul of the Commemorative Works Act.
May, the associate regional director for lands, resources and planning for the NPS’ National Capital Region, told the panel that the law prohibits “superimposing another subject on an existing memorial, particularly if new features are added.”
May said expanding the District’s World War I memorial also would violate a requirement that “the site and design for the new memorial be developed in a public process.”
He suggested that Pershing Park could be a suitable alternative. Near the White House, the First Division Monument and the Second Division Memorial, the park’s statue of famed World War I Gen. John Pershing includes an inscription honoring those who served in the U.S. Navy and the American Expeditionary Forces.
Though Fountain, Poe and others have maintained that they want their national memorial to have the prestige of placement on the National Mall, Norton said the NPS’ position could force them to rethink their stance.
Norton and Cleaver said they were trying to get Fountain, Poe and others in a room together this week. In the event an agreement can’t be reached, Cleaver said he doesn’t imagine the bill in its current form will have much more of a future.
“[House leadership] could say, ‘Two months of conflict and controversy — we’ll just leave it alone,’” Cleaver said. “We will kill the bill, and hopefully, the Senate and people around the world will be able to see that this Congress can’t pass a simple bill to celebrate the centennial in recognition of ... World War I. I’m really sad.”
Roll Call has launched a new feature, Hill Navigator, to advise congressional staffers and would-be staffers on how to manage workplace issues on Capitol Hill. Please send us your questions — anything from office etiquette, to handling awkward moments, to what happens when the work life gets too personal. Submissions will be treated anonymously.
