Interior Secretary Doug Burgum Discusses Government Contract for Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool Repairs

Government’s Choice to Retain Contracting Company

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum announced on CNN’s “State of the Union” that the government will continue working with the same company responsible for painting the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. Despite facing issues with the pool’s paint, Burgum affirmed the company’s previous performance as excellent.

Details of the Initial Contract

The controversial no-bid contract, valued at approximately $13.1 million, was awarded to Atlantic Industrial Coatings. This company has previous associations with work on Trump properties.

Price Discrepancies and Paint Problems

Originally, the project was predicted to cost between $1.5 million and $2 million. Atlantic Industrial Coatings owner, Eddie Wood, informed NBC News that additional work from the National Park Service raised the project’s cost to $14.6 million.

Following completion, the pool’s blue paint began to peel, and algae growth changed the water to a vivid green. The government reacted by allocating $1.7 million to Green Water Solutions, a company linked to a Trump donor, to tackle the algae problem.

Incidents and Arrests

Claims by Trump suggested vandalism was responsible for the paint issues. Subsequent arrests have been made, including U.S. Olympic canoeist David Hearn. Hearn faces an indictment related to property damage exceeding $1,000.

Hearn has denied destroying the pool’s coating, stating that he merely touched detached paint out of curiosity and was detained for five hours.

Burgum’s Remarks on Legal Proceedings

Addressing Hearn’s situation, Burgum highlighted the impartiality of the legal system, stating that one’s previous roles do not exempt them from legal accountability today.