Workers clean the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool on the National Mall in Washington, June 25, 2026.
Anna Moneymaker | Getty Images
A group of Senate Democrats is pursuing President Donald Trump’s challenging renovation plan for Washington’s reflecting pools, which have come under scrutiny for budget overruns and rapid deterioration.
Democrats, led by Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Martin Heinrich (D.M.), argued in a Thursday letter to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum that “the American people have a right to know why the recovery project failed and what corrective actions the Department is taking to address this ongoing problem.”
“Since the announcement of the renovation, this project has been plagued by a number of issues, raising serious questions about project management, contract practices, quality control, and fiscal responsibility,” the senators wrote.
President Trump’s renovation of his reflecting pool received national attention as his “Stars and Stripes Blue” resurfacing began to peel and algae began to grow. The renovations were aimed at increasing the pool’s reflective properties and reducing algae growth, and were touted as a success by the White House, despite obvious problems.
President Trump has acknowledged problems with paint and algae, but has blamed vandalism for problems with shallow pools without evidence.
President Trump posted a photo of the pool’s surface on his Truth social account on Wednesday, saying, “This is the unpainted hard rubber surface before the vandals cut and tore it apart!”
Peeling paint and algae on the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool after it was painted blue, June 22, 2026.
Aaron Schwartz | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Democrats said Trump initially said the reflecting pool renovation would cost $1.8 million, but that has now risen to more than $16 million, ABC News reported, citing federal contract documents.
“The problems currently facing reflecting pools are not just maintenance issues, but failures in project execution and government oversight,” they wrote. “After a no-bid contract was awarded and project costs increased significantly, the public was confident that this restoration project would restore one of the nation’s most recognizable landmarks. Unfortunately, that did not happen.”
The pool is currently scheduled to be drained again for additional repairs.
“When a project this costly and of this magnitude cannot remain operational for a full month after 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 Department of the Interior includes the National Park Service, which manages the National Mall and its monuments.
When asked by CNBC for comment on the letter, the Interior Department said: “What a failure?” It also included a link to an X post from the official White House account that posted four photos of a reflecting pool showing the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial.
Among the answers senators are seeking are how much the project is currently expected to cost, why it exceeded the original estimate of $1.8 million, and a full accounting of the money spent on the project and its sources.
Workers turn a valve at the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool after recent renovations are completed in Washington, June 22, 2026.
Kent Nishimura | AFP | Getty Images
Lawmakers also want answers about a complete list of expected further repairs, why the department awarded the at-will contract for the work, and whether the contractor is responsible. They also asked whether the department had conducted an “independent engineering, architectural, or construction quality review regarding reported coating system peeling, cracking, or failure” or an investigation into the algae outbreak.
The White House claimed in a Thursday press release that Trump’s vandalism claims were proven correct, citing surveillance video of the suspected vandal that park police are trying to identify.
The video shows the person reaching into the pool and appearing to remove something from it. It’s unclear from the video what exactly the person deleted. President Trump has repeatedly claimed that vandals scraped and lifted the ground.
“This is not a random prank, but a targeted act of sabotage by anti-American weirdos who despise our strong, proud, and beautiful country,” a White House press release said. “President Trump has no hesitation in beautifying the reflecting pool.”
