Atlantic Industrial Coatings was awarded a no-bid contract to repair the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.
Posted by Letters from an American, Checked
- Sources
- 5 support2 context
- Said
- 1 time·
- Confidence
- 90%
Letters from an AmericanAug 2, 2026
Multiple independent sources, including a FactCheck.org tier1 report, AP, the BBC, and a primary Senate press release, confirm that Atlantic Industrial Coatings received a no-bid Interior Department contract for work on the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.
What was said
… President Donald J. Trump announced in April that he was planning to renovate the reflecting pool, and on May 7 said it would take a week and cost about 1.8 million dollars. By May 8, the cost had jumped to 13.1 million dollars, with the contract awarded on a no bid basis. When the pool reopened on June 6, Trump declared it a triumph, writing on social media, Thank you, President Trump. But the day after the reservoir filled with water, algae began to bloom in it. …
Letters from an American · · from the transcriptPost →What we found
Supports. FactCheck.org reports the Department of the Interior awarded a no-bid contract on April 3 to Atlantic Industrial Coatings to paint the reflecting pool, with supplemental agreements totaling $14.7 million.[1]
Supports. AP reports Atlantic Industrial Coatings was awarded a $14.7 million no-bid contract to repaint and waterproof the pool's concrete floor.[2]
Supports. Senator Blumenthal's press release describes no-bid contracts awarded to Atlantic Industrial Coatings to paint the pool bottom, with costs rising to $13.1 million.[3]
Supports. The BBC and NBC News both report the no-bid award to Atlantic Industrial Coatings, and NBC reports Interior Secretary Burgum said the same company would be used for repairs.[4][5]
Context. Sources describe the original contract as painting and waterproofing, while the later work was warranty repairs by the same contractor, which supports the loose use of 'repair' in the claim.[1][6][7]
Sources
7 sources: 2 fact-checkers, 1 primary, 1 tier 1, 1 tier 2, 2 not rated
- 1Trump's Unsupported Claims About Reflecting Pool Vandalismfactcheck.org · fact-checker · cited for: supports, context
- 2Trump blasts Pirro after she drops Reflecting Pool ...apnews.com · fact-checker · cited for: supports
- 3Blumenthal Probes No-Bid Contract Awarded to Trump's ...blumenthal.senate.gov · primary source · cited for: supports
- 4Lawsuit seeks to halt Trump's $13m makeover of Lincoln ...bbc.com · tier 1 · cited for: supports
- 5Interior secretary says Trump administration will use the same ...nbcnews.com · tier 2 · cited for: supports
- 6What does 'complete' mean for the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool?rmb.reuters.com · not rated · cited for: context
- 7What does 'complete' mean for the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool?usatoday.com · not rated · cited for: context
Where this claim was made
Said in 1 published post
Related claims
- The National Park Service contracted Greenwater Services for a water purification system for the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool for 1.7 million dollars.True
- The Department of Justice filing states that damage to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool was caused by faulty installation by a contractor hired on a no-bid basis.True