Trump Administration Expands Lincoln Pool Contract to $13.1 Million, Bypassing Required Review
Updated
Updated · Snopes.com · May 17
Trump Administration Expands Lincoln Pool Contract to $13.1 Million, Bypassing Required Review
3 articles · Updated · Snopes.com · May 17
$13.1 million in Trump-era contracts for the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool have drawn scrutiny mainly because the administration skipped standard review channels, not because of the price tag alone.
The main no-bid contract for sealing joints, waterproofing the basin and painting it blue rose from $6.9 million to $13.1 million, after an initial estimate of just $1.8 million.
Obama-era work cost $35.3 million, but Snopes said the comparison is not rateable because Trump's project is unfinished and the earlier rebuild was broader and legally reviewed through the Commission of Fine Arts.
That 2010-2012 reconstruction fixed some structural problems but still left major issues: the pool was soon hit by algae and was still leaking 16 million gallons a year as of May 2026.
Trump's team has also awarded a $1.7 million water-filtration contract, while the third leg of the repair plan—replacing two miles of damaged pipes—has not yet begun.
Can a fast-tracked $13M repair succeed where a $35M, fully-vetted reconstruction failed?