Investigate and Stop the $20M Reflecting Pool Spending Disaster

Demand a full investigation into the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool contracting fiasco and stop any further taxpayer spending on this project. What started as a $1.5 million job has ballooned to nearly $20 million, with no-bid contracts handed to firms with no federal contracting history, sealant that peeled almost immediately, and algae returning within days of the pool being refilled. This is a textbook case of government waste. The Interior Department bypassed competitive bidding by claiming "urgent" need, then quietly awarded another $2.65 million last week to a third company after Secretary Burgum publicly promised no new contracts in July. Meanwhile, an innocent man — 67-year-old Olympic athlete David Hearn — was indicted for "vandalism" that the government's own prosecutors later admitted was caused by a botched installation. That case should be dismissed with prejudice immediately. My tax dollars deserve better than this. Hold hearings, claw back misspent funds, and ensure no further contracts are awarded for this project without full competitive bidding and congressional oversight.