House Democrats seized on a controversial $13.1 million no-bid contract for the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool renovation during a Wednesday hearing, pressing Interior Secretary Doug Burgum over the deal's legality and ties to President Trump.
During a House Natural Resources Committee session on Trump's fiscal 2027 budget request, Rep. Joe Neguse (D-Colo.) questioned Burgum about the contract awarded April 3 to Atlantic Industrial Coatings, a Virginia-based firm. The New York Times reported last week that the administration skipped competitive bidding for the project, which is set to expire May 22.
Neguse, the fifth-ranking House Democrat, asked Burgum if he was familiar with the company. Burgum responded he was not. Neguse then stated the contract was a no-bid deal, calling it a fact. Burgum countered, saying, “I’m positive that we followed all of the required bidding rules. So, you’re emphasizing the word ‘no-bid’ like something nefarious has happened, and I reject that thesis.”
Under federal law, agencies can bypass competitive bidding only when there is an “unusual and compelling urgency” that would cause serious injury to the government if delayed. Neguse pressed Burgum on what constituted that injury. The secretary cited a backlog of deferred maintenance, noting 19 fountains in Washington, D.C., were nonfunctional. “I think we do have a sense of urgency,” Burgum said.
Neguse cut him off, quipping, “That’s the serious injury to the government? The serious injury to the government?” Burgum replied that he was “not a lawyer” but argued that having the nation’s capital look great ahead of the country’s 250th anniversary on July 4 was a shared goal.
The controversy deepened after Trump said last month in the Oval Office that he had a “guy who’s unbelievable at doing swimming pools” for the project, referencing work at his golf club in Sterling, Virginia. “He looked at [the Reflecting Pool]. He called me up. He said, ‘Sir, we can do something on it,’” the president said. But on Tuesday, Trump changed his story, writing on Truth Social, “I didn’t give out the contract, ‘Interior’ did, to a contractor I did not know, and have never used before.”
A White House official told The Hill on Tuesday that the contractor has been involved in several beautiful projects in Washington, D.C. Neguse also asked Burgum whether the contract was awarded to Atlantic Industrial Coatings, which describes itself as a woman-owned business on its website. Burgum denied any direct link, stating, “The gentleman that you’re talking about that has done construction work regarding pools and fountains for President Trump is not part of this contract. He’s just a citizen that cared about it and offered some free advice. There’s nothing there … in terms of any dollars flowing to anybody that worked for President Trump.”
The reflecting pool has undergone major repairs before, including a $34 million overhaul during the Obama administration. The hearing came as Trump’s Interior budget faces sharp cuts—Burgum previously faced House grilling over proposed reductions—and as Democrats grapple with internal leadership dynamics and foreign policy divisions.
