A lone senator is still pursuing the construction of a controversial memorial to the 34th president despite a lack of support from his fellow Republicans and the family of Dwight Eisenhower.
Senator Pat Roberts (R., Kan.) says he was disappointed that the Senate Interior Appropriations Subcommittee reduced construction funding for the monument to zero last week, but maintains that the design produced by the architect Frank Gehry will prevail.
"There will be an effort to try to get additional funding in what may be an omnibus and there’s also a great deal of emphasis on private funding that has some real good prospects," Roberts said to Roll Call on Tuesday.
Roberts’ office did not respond to a request for comment.
The only funding granted for the memorial by the Senate was $1 million for the Eisenhower Memorial Commission staff. Roberts became the chairmen of the commission this last spring.
The House’s budget bill cuts all funding for the memorial. A report attached to the bill called for a full "reset," a new staff for the Eisenhower commission, and a open contest for a design that would appeal to the former presidents family.
Republicans and critics alike are confused why Roberts keeps fighting for the design.
"People on the Hill are perplexed why a Republican would support a design which conservatives universally dislike," said Justin Shubow, president of the National Civic Art Society. "He’s delusional, he’s left Kansas for the land of Oz."
The monument design proposed by Gehry, a Canadian postmodern architect, is considered unconventional by many critics. Gehry’s design is not supported by the Eisenhower family.
Gehry’s plan features a statue of Eisenhower as a young boy in Kansas, as well as a massive stainless steel tapestry depicting prairie scenery. The Commission of Fine Arts approved the design on June 18th, despite the protests and threats from Congress to decrease funding.
Representative Mike Simpson (R., Idaho.), a member of the subcommittee that cut funding for the monument, sits on the Eisenhower commission with Roberts.
Simpson favors the full reset. He told Roll Call that the estimated $17 million plan to find a new design is worth it.
"Sure," Simpson said, when asked whether he was concerned by the price tag. "But I’m even more concerned about going on with a design that’s not supported widely by the Eisenhower family and Congress."
The current design would cost about $100 million to construct.
"This memorial is rather inexpensive compared to most,"Roberts told Roll Call. He sounded optimistic about the prospect of private fundraising. "We’ve got an awful lot of World War II veterans that are really chipping in on this. They’d like to see this if possible, you know, given their age."
For Simpson, a design that will be respectful and appealing is essential.
"In the end, what you’ve got to have is a design that’s supported by the Eisenhower family. They don’t have to have veto power, but they can’t oppose it," Simpson said. "So, I think it’s best that they start over."