The top Democrat on the House oversight committee is seeking answers from the two contractors that renovated the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, which has caught national media attention in recent days.
Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA) sent scathing letters to Green Water Solutions and Atlantic Industrial Coatings on Wednesday, demanding to know how the firms received no-bid contracts from the National Park Service for the “disastrous” renovation, according to a press release.
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The Reflecting Pool has seen numerous problems, including a severe algae bloom that turned the water green and the peeling of the new “American flag blue” paint job. Furthermore, a dead duckling was found floating in the pool after workers applied chemical treatments to eliminate the algae. It’s unclear whether the chemicals caused its death.
President Donald Trump has blamed vandalism for sabotaging the National Mall’s iconic landmark, as some arrests of the alleged suspects have been made.
Trump has accused vandals of carving a 300-foot gash into the pool, but no evidence has been shown to back that claim. The cause of the cut remains unknown, according to the New York Times.
Garcia described the renovation as Trump’s “latest failed vanity project,” arguing he “should be focused on making life more affordable for the American people” instead of “rewarding his loyalists with government contracts and wasting taxpayer money on failing projects.”
The two contractors bypassed the competitive bidding process for the pool renovation, which ended up costing taxpayers over $14 million, according to reports. Both contractors also have ties to Trump.
Green Water Solutions was granted a no-bid contract by the Trump administration last year, and its owner donated to Trump’s campaign and groups linked to the president in the past, according to the press release. Additionally, per the release, Atlantic Industrial Coatings had never secured a federal contract before and previously conducted pool repairs at one of Trump’s golf courses.
“As the nation grapples with a historic affordability crisis and a costly and failed war in the Middle East, President Trump is failing to protect our national treasures while wasting taxpayer dollars through poorly executed pet projects,” the House Democrat wrote. “In the latest example of stunning waste, fraud, and abuse, the Trump Administration skirted standard contracting practices to award non-competitive contracts to Trump donors and acquaintances—including yourself—to beautify the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.”
“Now, as the Reflecting Pool’s new paint flakes off in chunks and water is consumed by algae, it appears those taxpayer dollars have been flushed down the drain,” he added. “While Americans struggle to afford basic necessities amid the economic turmoil sowed by the Trump Administration, I demand information and documents to understand how this egregious waste of taxpayer dollars was allowed to occur.”
FENCING INSTALLED AROUND REFLECTING POOL AS TRUMP ALLEGES VANDALISM
Fencing had been installed around the Reflecting Pool on Tuesday to prevent “leftist activists” from vandalizing the historic site, a spokesperson for the Interior Department previously told the Washington Examiner. The department noted the pool was supposed to be fenced off in the days leading up to July 4.
The extensive list of the Reflecting Pool’s infrastructure challenges comes just before the United States’ 250th birthday. It remains to be seen whether the pool will be partially drained before the federal holiday. Trump has said it could happen “either immediately before or after the Fourth of July” to prepare for a “permanent repair.”
