McCain says Arlington expansion threatened by bus facility

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McCain says Arlington expansion threatened by bus facility

Sen. John McCain says plans to expand Arlington National Cemetery have hit a snag because local officials want to build a bus maintenance facility.

The Associated Press

August 14, 2015 5:51 am

< a min read

ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) – Sen. John McCain says plans to expand Arlington National Cemetery have hit a snag because local officials want to build a bus maintenance facility.

Arlington County officials say that’s not accurate and they’re committed to maximizing new burial space at the cemetery.

The cemetery is expected to run out of burial space within 10 years. McCain, the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said in a letter to the secretary of the Army on Wednesday that “it would be shameful” to tell the family of a fallen soldier that there’s no space at Arlington because of a bus facility.

But Arlington County’s federal liaison, Brian Stout, says the land in question was identified by Arlington as unsuitable for burial and was never slated to become part of the cemetery.