The cost of repairs to the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool has ballooned to $13.1 million under a no-bid contract awarded by the Trump administration — nearly seven times the $1.8 million President Trump publicly stated the project would cost, the administration confirmed Sunday.
The contract was awarded without competitive bidding, according to reporting by The New York Times published May 11, 2026. No explanation for bypassing the standard bidding process has been offered by administration officials.
The gap between the president’s stated figure and the contracted amount — $11.3 million — ranks among the starker single-project cost discrepancies to surface from the administration’s infrastructure spending to date.
The reflecting pool, stretching roughly 2,000 feet between the Lincoln Memorial and the World War II Memorial, draws millions of visitors each year and underwent a $34 million federally funded renovation completed in 2012.
Congressional oversight committees have not publicly announced hearings on the contract. A response from the National Park Service, which oversees the Mall, is expected in the coming days.