Advocacy group sues Trump administration over effort to paint reflecting pool 'American Flag Blue'
Source: NBC
A cultural nonprofit sued the Trump administration on Monday in an effort to block its ongoing repainting of the reflecting pool on the National Mall to make it American Flag Blue.
In papers filed in federal court in Washington, attorneys for Cultural Landscape Foundation argue that the resurfacing of the historic pool is unlawful, and it should be restored to its original color until the administration follows Congressionally mandated procedures to do the work.
The lawsuit asks a judge to immediately stop the work, which is being directed and overseen by President Donald Trump, who chose the color himself. The president has said he expects the work to be finished within the next two weeks.
The suit says that color is the main issue with the work being done on the 104-year-old pool.
The dark grey, achromatic basin was not incidental to the design. It was the design, attorney Alexander Kristofcak wrote.
The 1999 National Park Service Cultural Landscape Report for the Lincoln Memorial Grounds specifically identifies the dark-tiled basin as a character-defining feature of the historic landscape, noting that the dark color of the tile created the illusion of greater depth and a more profound reflection, the suit says.
Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/trump-administration/preservation-group-files-lawsuit-trump-administration-reflecting-pool-rcna344562
Link to tweet
sop
(19,199 posts)rampartd
(4,966 posts)dave99
(237 posts)Lovie777
(23,612 posts)on bullshit.
Taking monies and subsides regarding healthcare, and other issues that help people.
lostnfound
(17,624 posts)perfectly on brand with the whole MAGA machismo
Tasmanian Devil
(214 posts)I heard a rumor once that Congress had the power of the purse. Perhaps someone with more experience than I could track down just how this idiot is able to spend money on vanity projects?
I almost expect to find this is another "private funds so I can do what I want" scenario. But perhaps the funds came in rubles (er, bitcoin) and next year the red and white stripes will be added along the sides of the mall! 🇷🇺
LetMyPeopleVote
(181,713 posts)Last edited Mon May 11, 2026, 04:46 PM - Edit history (1)
The president handed a contract to a company that has never held a federal contract but did work on a swimming pool at one of his golf clubs.
Trumpâs no-bid contract for reflecting pool project faces rising costs, new lawsuit www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...
— Philly Joe (@joehick58.bsky.social) 2026-05-11T19:55:37.606Z
https://www.ms.now/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/trumps-no-bid-contract-for-reflecting-pool-project-faces-rising-costs-new-lawsuit
The pool is the latest in a string of cases where Mr. Trumps government invoked special powers to shut down required competition, and then handed contracts directly to the presidents preferred vendors.
The renovation plans exemplify how Mr. Trump views much of the nations capital as his imperial realm to decorate, or even destroy, as he sees fit. In doing so, he and his administration have run roughshod over a decades-old review process for changes in Washingtons core, as well as rules intended to ensure government money is spent wisely and without favoritism.
A follow-up Times report noted that Trump said his handpicked contractor would charge $1.8 million for the project, but the actual cost is now more than seven times that, after the Interior Department nearly doubled the size of the contract late last week, federal records show.....
On Monday morning, preservationists with the Cultural Landscape Foundation filed suit, asking a federal judge to halt the presidents renovation project. (The park service and the White House did not comment on the litigation.) The case was assigned to U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols, a Trump appointee. Watch this space.
LetMyPeopleVote
(181,713 posts)The Trump administration unlawfully began painting the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool basin blue without conducting the required consultations before altering a registered historic landmark, a new lawsuit alleged Monday.
What about giving his pool guy a no-bid .9 million contract, isn't that illegal as well?!
— haversack (@hsack121.bsky.social) 2026-05-11T16:55:31.986Z
Trump Reflecting Pool Paint Job Draws New Lawsuit Over Review
news.bloomberglaw.com/environment-...
https://news.bloomberglaw.com/environment-and-energy/trump-reflecting-pool-paint-job-draws-new-lawsuit-over-review
The National Park Service awarded a pool contractor a no-bid $6.9 million contract to alter the original design of the National Mall landmark without publishing an environmental assessment or giving an opportunity for public comment, the Cultural Landscape Foundation said in a lawsuit filed in the US District Court for the District of Columbia.
Because the reflecting pool is listed in the National Register of Historic Places, the Interior Department agency must consult with experts and nonprofit organizations with relevant expertise before altering the site under the National Historic Preservation Act, the group alleged.
The Trump administration said the urgent situation of the countrys 250th anniversary warranted an exemption from the laws procedural requirements, according to the complaint.....
According to the complaint, the project was awarded to Atlantic Industrial Coatings, which previously performed work at President Donald Trumps National Golf Club in Sterling, Va.
Its the latest alteration to a monument within the nations capital that groups say lacked any public review process or National Environmental Policy Act study, as Trump continues to push the East Wing ballroom project forward and plans to renovate the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. All projects have drawn lawsuits from similar historical societies and nonprofits.
Every day that the resurfacing continues, the historic character of the Reflecting Pool is being further and fundamentally altered, the suit filed Monday said.
TheRickles
(3,514 posts)LetMyPeopleVote
(181,713 posts)