Hickenlooper demands – Sen. John Hickenlooper says President Donald Trump should reimburse taxpayers after the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool was renovated in an alleged rushed “emergency” effort, now left with algae and peeling blue sealant. Trump has blamed vandals, including su
WASHINGTON — For weeks, Americans walking the National Mall have seen something no one expected from a high-profile renovation: the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool turned fluorescent green, coated in algae, with expensive blue sealant peeling off the bottom in sheets.
Sen. John Hickenlooper. a Democrat from Colorado. is now pressing the White House for accountability in the bluntest terms he can find. In a new letter to President Donald Trump. first obtained by HuffPost. Hickenlooper says the president should “personally pay back taxpayers” the millions spent revamping the Reflecting Pool.
Hickenlooper’s complaint is not just about what the pool looks like. It’s about how the Trump administration handled the work.
Under the guise of an “emergency. ” Hickenlooper says. Trump’s administration bypassed competitive bidding processes to rush the renovation of the iconic Reflecting Pool. He describes the outcome as avoidable and chaotic: a “national embarrassment” unfolding on the National Mall. with the pool now a “fluorescent green swamp of algae” and sealant already peeling.
“The bill for this fiasco should only belong to you, Mr. President,” Hickenlooper adds.
The senator argues the damage was set in motion by timing and process. He says Trump rushed to paint the pool “American flag blue” in time for a July 4th photo-op. In his telling, rushing meant bypassing laws and handing out no-bid contracts. He also points to the financial toll. saying more than $16 million in taxpayer money is gone. tied to what he calls shoddy work and a missed deadline.
Trump, for his part, has disputed that the problem stems from the renovation itself. He has tried to blame the current state of the pool on mysterious vandals.
In remarks Monday to reporters at the White House. Trump suggested that political opponents came in the dead of night with knives to shred the blue sealant and dump algae into the water. “We have 100. and we have a. I think. 290. 300-foot slit right through it. probably a box cutter or a knife of some kind. ” Trump said. “We had people lifting up the basic, some of the bays. It’s not a lot of damage, but we’ll probably have to let the water out and re-fix it.”.
White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers doubled down on that position. defending the administration’s record and attacking Democrats for their role in describing the situation. In a statement. Rogers said Trump’s efforts to “beautify our nation’s capital are supported by Americans across the country and should be praised by both Republicans and Democrats.” She also leaned into Trump’s vandal theory. telling HuffPost that it was “shameful that elected Democrats would lie to the American public about the deranged vandalism that has taken place at the Reflecting Pool.” Rogers said the president “generously spearheaded the restoration of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. ” and that it is “now reflecting beautifully despite the vandals’ attempt to destroy it.”.
Hickenlooper, in his letter, rejects that account outright. “This was not a result of vandalism,” the senator said. “This was not a result of vandalism, but your administration’s incompetence.”
John Hickenlooper Donald Trump Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool National Mall algae sealant taxpayer money White House Taylor Rogers vandalism July 4 photo-op competitive bidding