Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) criticized President Donald Trump on Tuesday over a $13.1 million no-bid contract for repairs and a blue paint job at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, accusing the president of steering taxpayer money to a favored contractor despite earlier promises to keep public costs down.
Schiff Links Pool Deal To Trump Promises
Schiff wrote on X, “A ballroom he promised taxpayers wouldn’t pay for. A wall he promised Mexico would. And now a no-bid contract for a favored pool contractor costing taxpayers millions more. Trump’s art of the deal is, and always will be, a scam.”
The criticism tied the reflecting pool project to two of Trump’s past pledges that Mexico would pay for the U.S. border wall and that taxpayers would not pay for a planned White House ballroom.
Reflecting Pool Cost Climbs Past Estimate
Schiff was responding to a New York Times report that said the cost to repair and repaint the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool has climbed to $13.1 million, more than seven times Trump’s initial $1.8 million estimate. The Interior Department last week added $6.2 million to an existing $6.9 million contract, the report said.
The work is being handled by Atlantic Industrial Coatings, a Virginia firm that received a no-bid contract in April. The company previously repaired swimming pools at Trump National Golf Club in Washington, D.C., and at Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Virginia. The government cited an urgent need to proceed, saying delay would cause “serious injury,” according to the Times.
The expedited schedule followed Trump’s directive to finish the project before July 4, 2026, when the United States marks its 250th anniversary.
Lawsuit Challenges Blue Pool Coating
The Cultural Landscape Foundation, a non-profit education and advocacy organization and its founder, Charles Birnbaum, sued the administration last week, arguing the blue coating is “altering the historic character” of the pool without proper authority. The lawsuit says federal officials failed to conduct required consultations under the National Historic Preservation Act and did not meet obligations under the National Environmental Policy Act.
The administration says the project will improve the pool for visitors while reducing waste from leaks estimated at 16 million gallons of water per year. “You’re going to end up with a beautiful, beautiful Reflecting Pool, the way it’s supposed to be,” Trump said last month, according to CBS News. “Much better than it ever was, actually.”
Photo Courtesy: lev radin on Shutterstock.com
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