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Arlington National Cemetery could be full in 25 years

Arlington National Cemetery. Photo: Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images

Arlington National Cemetery is rapidly approaching the point where it won't have space for new burials, and could be full in 25 years at the current pace, the New York Times reports.

The big picture: The cemetery is the most prominent of its kind in the country, and sees around 7,000 burials a year. But the Army, who runs Arlington, is considering only allowing those who were killed in action or awarded the Medal of Honor to be buried there.

What's next: Per the Times, the Army is "conducting a survey of public opinion" regarding the issue through this summer, and is expected to officially recommend a solution this fall.

Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), a former Army infantry officer who led combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, and in between was a platoon leader with the Old Guard at Arlington National Cemetery:

  • “Memorial Day began as Decoration Day, as communities and families decorated the graves of fallen soldiers with flags and flowers. The tradition continues today across our land, with flags and flowers adorning patriot graves ... Their stories inspire our souls and give us all a renewed attachment to the noble country whose flag they wore in their final moments."

Go deeper with the NYT: The photos by Damon Winter are worthy of your time.

Go deeper

Marisa Fernandez
4 mins ago - Health

OIG: HHS misused millions of dollars intended for public health threats

Vaccine vials. Photo: Punit Paranjpe/AFP via Getty Images

The U.S. Office of Special Counsel alerted the White House and Congress on Wednesday of an investigation that found the Department of Health and Human Services misused millions of dollars that were budgeted for vaccine research and public health emergencies for Ebola, Zika and now the COVID-19 pandemic.

Why it matters: The more than 200-page investigation corroborated claims from a whistleblower, showing the agency's violation of the Purpose Statute spanned both the Obama and Trump administrations and paid for unrelated projects like salaries, news subscriptions and the removal of office furniture.

Go deeper (1 min. read)Arrow
Zachary Basu
6 mins ago - Energy & Environment

John Kerry: U.S.-China climate cooperation is a "critical standalone issue"

President Biden's special climate envoy John Kerry said Wednesday that the U.S. must deal with China on climate change as a "critical standalone issue," but stressed that confronting Beijing's human rights and trade abuses "will never be traded" for climate cooperation.

Why it matters: The last few years have brought about a bipartisan consensus on the need for the U.S. to confront China's aggression. But as the world's largest greenhouse gas emitter, China will be a vital player if the world is going to come close to reining in emissions on the scale needed to meet the Paris Agreement goals of limiting warming to 2°C above pre-industrial levels.

Go deeper (1 min. read)Arrow
Zach Dorfman of the Aspen Institute, author of Codebook
43 mins ago - World

In cyber espionage, U.S. is both hunted and hunter

Illustration: Eniola Odetunde/Axios

American outrage over foreign cyber espionage, like Russia's SolarWinds hack, obscures the uncomfortable reality that the U.S. secretly does just the same thing to other countries.

Why it matters: Secrecy is often necessary in cyber spying to protect sources and methods, preserve strategic edges that may stem from purloined information, and prevent diplomatic incidents.

Go deeper (2 min. read)Arrow