By Blessing Nweke

A renovation project at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington has become the subject of legal and political controversy after federal records showed costs had surged to $13.1m, far above the $2m estimate initially cited by President Donald Trump.

The makeover, launched ahead of America’s 250th Independence Day celebrations on 4 July, includes repairs and resurfacing work on the historic pool stretching between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument.

The Department of the Interior awarded the no-bid contract to Virginia-based Atlantic Industrial Coatings using an emergency procurement exemption. Critics argue the administration improperly bypassed federal requirements for competitive bidding.

The nonprofit The Cultural Landscape Foundation filed a lawsuit on Monday seeking to halt the project, claiming the renovations threaten the historic character of the reflecting pool and violate preservation laws governing national landmarks.

“Every day that the resurfacing continues, the historic character of the Reflecting Pool is being further and fundamentally altered,” the lawsuit states.

Trump defended the work on Tuesday, telling reporters the pool would “work properly” for the first time since 1922. He also attempted to distance himself from the contract award, writing on Truth Social that he neither selected nor knew the contractor.

However, remarks made by Trump in April suggested he personally intervened after rejecting other bids. He said he planned to contact contractors who had previously worked on swimming pools for him.

The reflecting pool previously underwent a $34m restoration during the administration of Barack Obama between 2010 and 2012, though persistent leaks and algae problems continued afterward.