Top House Oversight Democrat demands answers on Reflecting Pool renovation 'failure'

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: The Hill

06/24/26 11:12 AM ET


Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.), the ranking member on the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, is demanding answers about the renovation work at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, after algae bloomed and paint peeled shortly after the project’s completion. Garcia addressed these concerns in Wednesday letters to the two construction firms awarded no-bid federal contracts for the more than $14 million project, Green Water Solutions and Atlantic Industrial Coatings.

“The President should be focused on making life more affordable for the American people, not rewarding his loyalists with government contracts and wasting taxpayer money on failing projects,” he said in a statement. We’re demanding answers straight from the contractors about the project’s failures.” The president has speculated that the pool was vandalized and said Tuesday morning that authorities have made six arrests and issued seven federal citations for alleged “damage they did to our Country’s now beautiful Reflecting Pool.”

Democratic lawmakers have questioned the president’s claims of vandalism, with Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) telling CNN’s John Berman on Tuesday that there is a “24/7 camera” aimed at the pool that would show evidence of vandalism. “The president can back up his position on this by showing this film to the American people, Durbin said. “Let them see it with their own eyes if it exists.”

The president directed reporters to the National Park Service for evidence. He also announced on Tuesday that the pool will be partially drained “either immediately before or after” Independence Day for further repairs. “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,” the California Democrat wrote in his letters to the two firms.

Read more: https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5938234-robert-garcia-house-oversight-donald-trump-reflection-pool-failure/

---

Democratic lawmakers have questioned the president’s claims of vandalism, with Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) telling CNN’s John Berman on Tuesday that there is a “24/7 camera” aimed at the pool that would show evidence of vandalism.

There's at least one big live-streaming Webcam pointed at it that has been running 24/7 for years - https://www.earthcam.com/usa/dc/washingtonmonument/

[Bengus81]

1. Simple...show pics and the video of Trump and his 15 car parade driving in that pool

shortly after the paint job was applied.

[usonian]

2. Not a failure. A resounding success. Epstein out of the news again.

[ImNotGod]

3. I'm seeing news about this Democrat or that Democrat coming out against tRumps disgusting criminal deeds but ask myself

why just one? Why not the entire party joining in a statement coming out against each and every criminal act, a joint statement. Just doesn't make sense, doesn't speak well for party unity. It's piecemeal imho.

[BumRushDaShow]

4. "but ask myself why just one?"

Because Jaime Raskin is the "Ranking Member" on the House Judiciary Committee. Similarly, you might see Robert García out there pounding a podium. He is the "Ranking Member" on the House Oversight Committee.

In the Senate, probably the biggest voices are Elizabeth Warren (Ranking Member/Vice Chair of the Senate Banking Committee) and Mark Warner (Ranking Member/Vice Chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee). You will see then making TV appearances and in front of the media.

And if we took back either or both chambers, they would all be the Chairs of their Committees.

These high-level members were voted into those positions by the Democratic members on their Committees and "speak on behalf of" those Democratic members on their Committees. THAT is their job.

[LeftInTX]

5. I saw this yesterday "House Republican: Let Reflecting Pool 'go' and 'create an ecosystem'"

Figured it wasn't worth starting an OP because I agree with this Republican. Didn't want to get attacked. But I really think turning it into an ecosystem is an economically feasible solution. Unless you want to turned it into Lake Bellagio and use about 125 pounds of chlorine a day, you will always have algae. (Lake Bellagio uses 500 pounds per day, but it's about 5 times larger than the pool) Actually the reflecting pool would need more simply because of it's location etc.

https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5937983-burchett-proposes-ecosystem-reflecting-pool/

Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) on Tuesday had an outside-the-box idea to address algae growth in the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.

“Honestly, I think it’d be cool if they just let it go and create an ecosystem, have fish in there and everything. … I think that’d be a really … cool way to go,” he told reporters on Capitol Hill, according to MeidasTouch.

Renovations on the Reflecting Pool wrapped up earlier this month, with Atlantic Industrial Coatings receiving more than $14.6 million through a federal contract for the project................

Burchett said Tuesday there are “other methods” to address the algal bloom in the pool, such as chlorine and bleach. But he also acknowledged the reality of the outdoors.

“It’s algae and science. It’s just going to happen,” the Tennessee Republican noted.

[BumRushDaShow]

7. Yeah I saw it too

but had too much going on although today is worse.

[Rebl2]

6. I had

thought that there were surely cameras there that would have shown any vandals.