Workers clean the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool on the National Mall on June 25, 2026 in Washington, DC.
Anna Moneymaker | Getty Images
A group of Senate Democrats is probing President Donald Trump’s troubled renovation of the reflecting pool in Washington that has drawn scrutiny for running over budget and rapidly deteriorating.
The Democrats, in a Thursday letter led by Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee ranking member Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., and addressed to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, argued the “American people deserve to know why the rehabilitation project has failed and the corrective actions the Department is taking to address this ongoing issue.”
“Since announcing the renovations, the project has been plagued with a number of issues — raising serious questions about project management, contracting practices, quality control, and fiscal responsibility,” the senators wrote.
Trump’s renovation of the reflecting pool has captured national attention, as his “American flag blue” resurfacing began peeling and algal blooms flourished. The renovation was intended to enhance the reflective qualities of the pool and reduce algae growth and was touted by the White House as a success despite apparent problems.
Trump has acknowledged issues with the paint and the algae, but has, without evidence, blamed the shallow pool’s problems on vandals.
On Wednesday, Trump posted a photo of the surface of the pool to his Truth Social account and said, “This is the hard rubber surface — No Paint — Before the Vandals cut and pulled it apart!”
Chipped paint and algae in the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool after it was painted blue in Washington, DC, US, on Monday, June 22, 2026.
Aaron Schwartz | Bloomberg | Getty Images
The Democrats noted that while Trump initially said the reflecting pool renovation would cost $1.8 million, it has now ballooned to more than $16 million, ABC News reported last week, citing federal contracting documents.
“The issues now facing the reflecting pool are not simply maintenance concerns, but failures in project execution and government oversight,” they wrote. “Following the award of a no-bid contract and a drastic increase in project costs, the public was assured that the rehabilitation project would restore one of the nation’s most visible landmarks. Sadly, that has not happened.”
The pool is now expected to be drained again for additional repairs.
“If a project this costly and of this magnitude cannot remain functional for an entire month after its completion, serious questions must be raised regarding the planning, execution, inspection process, and the Department’s acceptance of the completed work,” they continued.
The senators demanded answers from Burgum about the project. The Interior Department houses the National Park Service, which manages the National Mall and its monuments.
The Interior Department, when asked by CNBC for comment on the letter, responded “What failure?” and included a link to an X post from the official White House account featuring four pictures of the reflecting pool reflecting the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial.
Among the answers the senators are seeking is how much the project is now expected to cost and why the project has exceeded its initial $1.8 million estimate, along with a full accounting of the funds used for the project and their sources.
Workers turn a valve at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool following the completion of recent renovations in Washington, DC, on June 22, 2026.
Kent Nishimura | AFP | Getty Images
The lawmakers are also seeking a full list of expected further repairs, answers to why the department chose to award a no-bid contract for the job and whether that contractor will be held accountable. They also asked whether the department “conducted an independent engineering, architectural, or construction quality review regarding the reported peeling, cracking, and failure of the coating system,” or an investigation into the algal blooms.
The White House, in a Thursday press release, argued that Trump has been proven correct in his vandalism claims by pointing to a surveillance video of an alleged vandal the Park Police are attempting to identify.
The video shows the person reach into the pool and appear to remove something from it. It’s unclear from the video what exactly the person removed. Trump has repeatedly claimed that vandals have cut the surface and lifted it.
“This isn’t random mischief — it’s targeted sabotage by anti-American crackpots who despise a strong, proud, and beautiful country,” the White House press release said. “President Trump won’t be deterred from making our Reflecting Pool beautiful.”
