All articles tagged with #renovation costs
With the pool drained, the liner appears gray instead of the touted 'American flag blue,' and the renovation bill has ballooned from about $1.5 million to over $16 million as contractors address cleaning, repainting and waterproofing amid vandalism concerns and related court cases; officials say repairs will proceed and the pool will be refilled after Independence Day fireworks.
Blue “American Flag Blue” paint at the bottom of the Reflecting Pool is peeling as algae returns after a Trump-era renovation; crews are cleaning with nanobubble ozone and hydrogen peroxide, but it’s unclear if these steps caused the peeling. About a third of the pool looks clean, while the rest remains green, and a 2–3 foot section near the south edge has peeled away. The renovation is cited at around $14 million.
President Trump says the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool renovation is complete and will be refilled with water by Sunday; the project includes repainting the basin in a deep blue he calls 'American flag blue' with administration cost estimates of about $1.5–$2 million, though contracts awarded total roughly $14.8 million. The pool—built in the 1920s and located between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument—uses river water from the nearby Tidal Basin, and critics have questioned the cost and appearance, including a lawsuit by the Cultural Landscape Foundation seeking to stop the dark-grey paint as too theme-park in style.
The Justice Department has dropped its criminal probe into Jerome Powell and the Federal Reserve, while the Fed Inspector General continues a review of the Washington renovation’s costs (which have risen to about $2.5 billion). The IG has found no wrongdoing so far, and the development could help advance Kevin Warsh’s bid to chair the Fed amid GOP pressure.
The Justice Department’s probe into the Federal Reserve’s $2.5 billion renovation found no evidence of criminal conduct, with a sealed March hearing transcript showing Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Massucco acknowledging uncertainty about fraud while noting cost overruns; Judge Boasberg later quashed the government’s subpoenas, saying there was essentially no evidence against Fed Chair Jerome Powell, and the investigation’s momentum stalled the Senate’s consideration of a Powell replacement.
Donald Trump criticized Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, calling him a 'fool' and expressing a desire to fire him, while also making false claims about the costs of Fed headquarters renovations and discussing his plans to appoint a new Fed chair in January.
The Pentagon is reportedly using funds from a costly missile project to finance renovations for a Qatar-gifted jet, with costs potentially nearing $1 billion, despite Trump's claim that the plane was a 'free gift.' The jet, valued at $400 million, requires extensive upgrades to serve as Air Force One, and the true costs and motives behind the gift are under scrutiny amid concerns over espionage and political influence.
During a visit to the Federal Reserve, President Trump exhibited various nonverbal cues with Fed Chair Jerome Powell, including signs of disagreement and dominance, such as head shakes, eye closures, and physical contact, which experts interpret as signals of tension, confidence, and control.
During a tour of the Fed's headquarters, Fed Chair Jerome Powell publicly corrected President Trump on the renovation costs, disputing Trump's claim that the project had ballooned to $3.1 billion, and clarifying that the figure included a separate, completed building. The exchange highlighted ongoing tensions between Trump and Powell, with the president criticizing the Fed's spending and hinting at potential removal, while some officials defended Powell's performance.
The ongoing $2.5 billion renovation of the Federal Reserve's headquarters in Washington DC has faced significant delays and cost overruns due to construction challenges, underground work complexities, and security standards, with critics alleging wasteful spending and mismanagement, while officials defend the necessity of the upgrades.