Lawsuit Alleges Trump Administration’s Reflecting Pool Revamp Skirts Regulations
5May 13, 2026
TheTrumpadministration’s plans to resurface, repair, and repaint the Lincoln Memorial’sReflecting Poolface renewed scrutiny in a newlawsuit. The complaint, filed in a federal Washington D.C. court on Monday by The Cultural Landscape Foundation (TCLF)—a nonprofit advocacy organization—seeksa temporary restraining order, preliminary injunction, or stay of agency action on the grounds that the project bypassed necessary review processes, including those specified by the National Historic Preservation Act.
The lawsuit names the National Park Service (NPS), NPS Acting Director Jessica Bowron, the Department of the Interior, and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum as defendants against TCLF, which is represented by the Washington Litigation Group. The complaint also alleges that the administration did not consult the National Commission of Fine Arts, which has been involved in all work around the Reflecting Pool for over a century.
A key issue in the lawsuit is President Donald J. Trump’s intent to paint the pool’s floor in a color that he described as “American Flag Blue,” ahead of the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Declaration of Independence. Charles A. Birnbaum, TCLF’s President and CEO, asserted in a statement that the pool’s original dark color was crucial in making its reflective surface subordinate to the visual connection between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument. “A blue-tinted basin is more appropriate to a resort or theme park,” added Birnbaum.
Trump initially estimated that the project would cost $1.8 million. That figure could have risen to $13.1 million according to documents found by The New York Times, which show that a Virginia firm named Atlantic Industrial Coatings LLC was handpicked for the project, skirting laws that require the government to seek out competing bids. In a statement to NPR, the Department of the Interior defended the project, noting that the National Park Service chose the “best company to expedite the repair,” adding that the current cost reflects the effort required to speed up the project’s completion before July 4.