Democrats probe Trump's troubled $16 million reflecting pool renovation

Workers clean the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool on the National Mall on June 25, 2026 in Washington, DC. Anna Moneymaker | Getty Images A group of Senate Democrats is probing President Donald Trump 's troubled renovation of the reflecting pool in Washington that has drawn scrutiny for running over budget and rapidly deteriorating. The Democrats, in a Thursday letter led by Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee ranking member Martin Heinrich , D-N.M., and addressed to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum , argued the "American people deserve to know why the rehabilitation project has failed and the corrective actions the Department is taking to address this ongoing issue." "Since announcing the renovations, the project has been plagued with a number of issues — raising serious questions about project management, contracting practices, quality control, and fiscal responsibility," the senators wrote.