Overview
- The administration says physical work on the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool is essentially complete, with the basin painted blue and only walkway cleaning and refilling left to do.
- President Trump showed a graphic at a White House event and defended the project, saying crews removed 'eleven or twelve truckloads' of debris and that the work will forestall major repairs for '50 to 100 years.'
- U.S. media reported the cost jumped sharply to about $13.1 million from figures Trump previously cited near $1.8 million, raising questions about budgeting and disclosure.
- The Cultural Landscape Foundation sued, arguing the change to the traditionally gray pool destroyed its historic character and that required federal review steps were bypassed; the suit did not halt completion.
- Engineers and reporting say crews did not replace known leaky inflow pipes during the short-notice work, leaving long-term leak problems unresolved and creating the risk of future repairs despite the new coating.