White House denies Trump role in Lincoln Memorial contract pick
The White House says Donald Trump had no role in a $1.74 million no-bid contract as the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool project drew scrutiny and costs climbed sharply.
The White House said Donald Trump was not involved in selecting Greenwater Services, as the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool overhaul became a test of federal contracting safeguards at one of Washington’s most visible landmarks. Federal records show Green Water Solutions, LLC received a $1,740,255.50 award on April 13, 2026, for a “Lincoln Reflecting Pool Nano Bubble” system, while Atlantic Industrial Coatings won a separate no-bid contract to line the pool in “American Flag Blue.”
The work was sold by the administration as urgent ahead of the nation’s 250th anniversary in 2026, but the price tag quickly became part of the story. One account said the project had reached $13.1 million by May 8, while another put the total at $14.2 million for Atlantic Industrial Coatings plus $1.7 million for Green Water Solutions. The gap between Trump’s early public figure of about $1.5 million and the later estimates intensified questions about how the contracts were awarded and why competition was bypassed.
Those questions moved into formal oversight almost immediately. Public Citizen filed Freedom of Information Act requests on May 12, 2026, seeking records on the contracting process and arguing that the administration had sidestepped oversight for a vanity project at a national landmark. Two days later, Senator Richard Blumenthal opened an inquiry into the no-bid contract awarded to Atlantic Industrial Coatings, saying the spending appeared to reward the president’s preferred partners and noting that the company had no prior federal contracting history and specialized in waterproofing highways, pipes, roofs, and tanks.
The company tied to the Green Water Solutions award has also drawn attention because of its ownership structure. The White House spokeswoman said Trump was not involved in selecting Greenwater Services, the business owned by a trust led by John J. Cafaro. Green Water Solutions, LLC was listed in USAspending with the April 13 award, a September 30, 2026 end date, and the contract description “NAMA 291052 Lincoln Reflecting Pool Nano Bubble.”
The renovation then hit another public-relations problem when algae returned within days of completion. POLITICO reported on June 12 and June 16 that Interior said the growth was residual after supply lines sat dormant during construction, and that the department was using nanobubblers and hydrogen peroxide to address it. The reflecting pool had last been renovated in 2012 under Barack Obama as part of a $34 million restoration that also included ozone filtration, underscoring how quickly a high-profile project at the National Mall has turned into a dispute over process, cost, and accountability.
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