Senators: “Taxpayers deserve a full explanation of how these failures occurred and who will be held accountable for correcting them”
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Ron Wyden said today he has joined Senate colleagues in demanding answers from the Trump administration about its rushed rehabilitation project of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.
The lawmakers note that the issues facing the reflecting pool are not simply maintenance concerns, but failures by the Department of the Interior in project execution and government oversight.
“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,” the senators wrote to Department of the Interior Secretary Doug Burgum.
Following the award of a no-bid contract and a drastic increase in project costs — from an initial cost estimate of $1.8 million to reportedly $14 million — the administration assured the public that the rehabilitation project would restore one of the nation’s most visible landmarks. Instead, days after the reflecting pool was refilled, large algae blooms turned the water green, and sections of the newly applied blue coating separated from the bottom and surfaced to the top of the pool, despite the project having been completed only days earlier.
“Perhaps, most troubling, is that the reflecting pool now will have to be drained again for additional repairs only weeks after its completion,” the senators continued. “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.”
“Taxpayers deserve a full explanation of how these failures occurred and who will be held accountable for correcting them,” the senators added.
The lawmakers concluded the letter by requesting answers by July 9 to the following:
- Why did costs rise from $1.8 million to more than $14 million?
- What funds were used for the project?
- Who will pay for future repairs?
- What was the Department’s justification for awarding a no-bid contract?
- Will the contractor be held accountable for the defects and failures?
- What investigations have been conducted into the coating failures and algae bloom?
The letter was led by U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich, D-N.M.. In addition to Wyden, the letter was signed by U.S. Senators Angus King, I-Maine, Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, Alex Padilla, D-Calif., and Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz.
The text of the letter is here.
A web version of this release is here.
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