1. United States
2. Texas
3. Letter

Given the predictable (to anyone who has owned or maintained a pool) Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool debacle, I am writing to urge you to block funding for this Republican administration’s proposed ballroom and arch projects. The Reflecting Pool contract ballooned to $14.7 million. The original estimate was a fraction of that, meaning costs spiraled dramatically in a short time. If a single pool-cleaning job can hemorrhage millions beyond its budget so quickly, there is no reason to believe larger, more complex projects will fare any better. Fiscal responsibility means making hard calls before the damage compounds. Scrapping the ballroom and arch now is the responsible move for Congress, not after those projects follow the same money-wasting trajectory the Reflecting Pool has. My wife and I urge you to block funding on any future vanity projects this Republican administration puts forward.