{"id":5070,"date":"2026-06-25T09:35:11","date_gmt":"2026-06-25T09:35:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=5070"},"modified":"2026-06-25T09:35:11","modified_gmt":"2026-06-25T09:35:11","slug":"white-house-contractors-must-explain-reflecting-pool-actions-democrats-say","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=5070","title":{"rendered":"White House, contractors must explain Reflecting Pool actions, Democrats say"},"content":{"rendered":"

Senators want to investigate no-bid contracts and whether the contractors\u2019 work contributed to an algae bloom and peeling paint.<\/strong><\/p>

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\"\"<\/figure>\n\n
Algae collects on the edge of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool on Wednesday. (Rahmat Gul\/AP)<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n

Democrats are pressing the Trump administration to explain why officials awarded no-bid contracts as part of President Donald Trump\u2019s renovations of <\/b>the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, with lawmakers asking whether the expedited process contributed to the pool\u2019s algae bloom<\/a> and the need for further repairs.<\/p>\n

Sen. Jeff Merkley (Oregon), the top Democrat on two committees that oversee the Interior Department, on Wednesday night wrote to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and two firms retained to work on the project, Atlantic Industrial Coatings and Green Water Solutions, which have received more than $16 million in federal contracts for their work.<\/p>\n

Merkley asked the administration and the firms to share details of the contracts; to explain whether the choice to resurface the pool\u2019s basin with a color handpicked by Trump, \u201cAmerican flag blue,\u201d could have contributed to the algae bloom; and to provide evidence that supports Trump\u2019s claim that \u201cvandals\u201d subsequently damaged the pool and have forced the administration to perform additional work, among other questions. The letter<\/a> was shared with The Washington Post.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m launching an investigation because taxpayers deserve swift answers \u2014 and a refund,\u201d Merkley said in a statement to The Post.<\/p>\n

The Interior Department awarded a $14.7 million contract to Atlantic Industrial Coatings and $1.7 million to Green Water Services, according to federal records. Green Water Services is owned by John J. Cafaro, who has previously donated to Trump.<\/p>\n

The department has said that the use of no-bid contracts was legally justified under an exception in federal procurement regulations that covers \u201cunusual and compelling urgency.\u201d Trump has said that the urgent work was necessary to complete renovations<\/a> to the pool ahead of July 4 celebrations to mark the nation\u2019s 250th anniversary.<\/p>\n

Trump on Wednesday repeated his claim that the pool has been deliberately damaged.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey went down with probably a box cutter or a very sharp razor … and they cut, and then they started ripping it up,\u201d Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, adding that repair work was likely in the coming weeks.<\/p>\n

To date, the White House has not disclosed evidence to back Trump\u2019s repeated claims of large-scale vandalism. The Justice Department on Wednesday night told a federal judge that the National Park Service determined on June 9 that a caulk over the foam sealant had been cut, and that about 70 fence post tops had been thrown into the Reflecting Pool. Trump officials also told the judge that they would begin draining the pool after July 4, a plan the president had referenced earlier in the day.<\/p>

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\u201cWe\u2019re going to let a little water out, because you have to let the water out to fix it. We\u2019re going to fix it, and then the water goes back in,\u201d Trump said.<\/p>\n

Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Connecticut), the top Democrat on the Senate\u2019s permanent subcommittee for investigations, on Wednesday said he was broadening his probe into the Interior Department\u2019s use of no-bid contracts and other urgent procedures to complete the Reflecting Pool and other projects.<\/p>\n

\u201cRushed no-bid contracts given to unqualified vendors with previous relationships to the President resulted in a reflecting pool more covered with algae than before, with freshly painted chunks of paint peeling from the bottom and floating on the pool\u2019s surface,\u201d Blumenthal wrote<\/a> in a letter to Burgum and the acting head of the National Park Service. He also sent a letter to Cafaro, requesting further details about how the company won its contract and its work to install a water purification system at the pool.<\/p>\n

Blumenthal said that he had not received a response to a letter<\/a> he sent two weeks ago to the Interior Department\u2019s leaders that asked for details on the pool renovations and Trump\u2019s other construction projects.<\/p>\n

The Democrats\u2019 efforts come as Trump has repeatedly claimed his renovations to the Reflecting Pool are a success \u2014 despite a significant algae bloom that prompted further work \u2014 and blamed<\/a> the need for further work on vandalism.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was going to take four years to build, and we did it in like a month, a month and a half,\u201d Trump said Monday in the Oval Office.<\/p>\n

Democrats have said that if they retake one or both chambers of Congress this fall, they will open probes into Trump\u2019s construction projects, including the Reflecting Pool.<\/p>\n

The Cultural Landscape Foundation, an education and advocacy organization that sued<\/a> in May to halt Trump\u2019s work on the project, asked a federal judge on Monday to intercede before the administration undertook further renovations.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is also not too late to correct course,\u201d the group wrote in its filing, urging the administration to \u201cdo what the law requires: Engage with experts and the public, and make an informed decision about what is best based on the consultations mandated by the law, instead of once again rushing ahead with half-baked ideas.\u201d<\/p>

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Democrats say they want answers on the use of no-bid contracts and whether the contractors’ work contributed to an algae bloom and peeling paint.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5066,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5070","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interesting"],"yoast_head":"\nWhite House, contractors must explain Reflecting Pool actions, Democrats say - Moving Insider USA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=5070\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"White House, contractors must explain Reflecting Pool actions, Democrats say - 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