Sen. Tom Cotton: Arlington Cemetery Running Out of Space

Action must be taken to prevent Arlington National Cemetery from running out of space, according to Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark.

"If we don't act soon, the future of this national jewel will be at risk," Cotton wrote in The Washington Post.

"If current trends continue, the cemetery will run out of space in just 25 years. In other words, veterans from every conflict from the Gulf War onward cannot hope to be buried there, even if they earn the nation’s highest decoration, the Medal of Honor," Cotton wrote.

"Burial in Arlington is itself a healing process — and one the families of the fallen deserve. That’s why it's so important that we preserve Arlington for the next generation," according to Cotton, a former U.S. Army captain.

Cotton pointed to two projects, the Millennium Project that will add 27 acres and 28,000 burial sites to the cemetery, and noted plans for the Southern Expansion, which would add 40,000 to 60,000 burial sites. He said Arlington County and Virginia must sell the land to the cemetery, and he called on Congress to support the plans.

"The cemetery must buy land from Arlington County and Virginia, as well as address transportation challenges with these authorities. Congress must support these efforts, particularly with funding for the land acquisitions, and look into whether the cemetery should expand to adjacent federal land on behalf of our nation, our fallen warriors, and their families," Cotton wrote in The Post.

Burials and urn ceremonies happen in the cemetery at a rate of 27 to 30 per weekday, with ten every Saturday, according to USA Today.

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