No-bid contract to turn DC’s reflecting pool blue goes to firm with ties to Trump
A company Trump has used for work at his Virginia golf course was awarded $6.9m to paint the iconic attraction
TL;DR
- Atlantic Industrial Coatings, a company that previously worked for Trump's Virginia golf course, received a $6.9 million no-bid contract to paint the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool.
- The contract was awarded using a federal exemption designed to avoid financial harm to the government, bypassing competing bids.
- The project aims to address persistent algae issues and potential leaks in the pool, which has a history of maintenance problems.
- Critics allege that the contract was hastily awarded to a company with ties to the president without sufficient public oversight.
- Experts express doubt that painting the pool blue will solve its underlying filtration and water clarity problems.