{"id":1253,"date":"2026-05-17T10:40:17","date_gmt":"2026-05-17T10:40:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usglobalnews.com\/?p=1253"},"modified":"2026-05-17T10:40:17","modified_gmt":"2026-05-17T10:40:17","slug":"workers-racing-to-turn-reflecting-pool-blue-for-trump-may-be-at-risk-union-warns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usglobalnews.com\/?p=1253","title":{"rendered":"Workers racing to turn reflecting pool blue for Trump may be at risk, union warns"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"border-color:var(--article-border);background-color:var(--article-inner-background)\" class=\"dcr-wqti5a\">\n<div class=\"dcr-2zxs1v\">\n<div style=\"--grid-area:media\" data-gu-name=\"media\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\">\n<div class=\"dcr-14emo0l\">\n<div class=\"dcr-tr9ye5\">\n<figure id=\"e2488322-4f61-4505-a448-ea210d9efb23\" class=\"dcr-142siv7\">\n<div id=\"img-1\" class=\"dcr-1t8m8f2\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"workers paint blue coating across drained pool \" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/62b4848a0f3d166bdcd01d8489513ffd8f7c38cf\/0_0_8423_5615\/master\/8423.jpg?width=465&amp;dpr=1&amp;s=none&amp;crop=none\" width=\"465\" height=\"309.98159800546125\" loading=\"eager\" class=\"dcr-evn1e9\"><span class=\"dcr-v822l1\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-gup2gr\">\n<div class=\"dcr-fntg6k\"><label for=\"the-checkbox\" class=\"dcr-1xgwz8b\"><\/label> <\/p>\n<div id=\"the-caption\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-1os51wo\"><span class=\"dcr-hvsf4t\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">Workers apply a blue protective coating as part of a renovation project to the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool in Washington DC on Friday.<\/span> Photograph: Jacquelyn Martin\/AP<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/span><a href=\"#img-1\" data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-13fd1ms\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><button data-element-id=\"e2488322-4f61-4505-a448-ea210d9efb23\" type=\"button\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-4tmywn\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><span class=\"dcr-194i6pr\">View image in fullscreen<\/span><\/button><\/a><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"dcr-n4pnam\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-1hdkqum\"><span class=\"dcr-hvsf4t\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">Workers apply a blue protective coating as part of a renovation project to the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool in Washington DC on Friday.<\/span> Photograph: Jacquelyn Martin\/AP<\/figcaption><\/span><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:border\" data-gu-name=\"border\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:headline\" data-gu-name=\"headline\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\">\n<div class=\"dcr-14emo0l\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1aqe7zu\">\n<h1 class=\"dcr-1k1a1x\">Workers racing to turn reflecting pool blue for Trump may be at risk, union warns<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:standfirst\" data-gu-name=\"standfirst\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\">\n<div class=\"dcr-15in7js\">\n<p>Union representative concerned about safety as workers rush to finish repainting DC pool before 250th celebrations<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:body\" data-gu-name=\"body\" class=\"dcr-kn9unn\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1a4fred\">\n<div id=\"maincontent\" class=\"dcr-ydnaza\">\n<div class=\"article-body-commercial-selector article-body-viewer-selector dcr-1c9t5u6\">\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Workers renovating one of Washington DC\u2019s most historically symbolic sites in a project ordered by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/donaldtrump\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">Donald Trump<\/a> may be risking their safety as they race to finish on time for the US\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2025\/may\/04\/trump-us-250th-anniversary\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">250th<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/apr\/29\/trump-freedom-truck-museum-exhibit\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">anniversary celebrations<\/a>, a union monitoring the site has warned.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Trade union scrutiny has focused on the reflecting pool on the US capital\u2019s National Mall \u2013 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/shorts\/U4YDBQco2SE\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">scene of Martin Luther King\u2019s 1963 \u201cI have a dream speech\u201d<\/a> \u2013 after it was drained of water and fenced off from the public to allow contractors the chance to upgrade it by 4 July.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The pool, a Washington landmark since it was dug in 1922, is currently the site of frenetic repair activity, its usual watery surface occupied instead by vehicle and work equipment. Tourists visiting the area have found their view obscured by black tarpaulin.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Leaks and algae blooms have for decades dogged the 2,000ft pool, which sits between the Lincoln and George Washington memorial monuments, turning its water green and confounding previous expensive government-commissioned repair schemes, including one commissioned by Barack Obama\u2019s administration.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"cffd06ed-135b-4299-8a4c-73df3a1c3355\" data-spacefinder-role=\"richLink\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.RichLinkBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-47fhrn\">\n<div data-print-layout=\"hide\" data-link-name=\"rich-link-4 | 4\" data-component=\"rich-link\" data-name=\"placeholder\" class=\"dcr-1kyw41h\">\n<div data-format-theme=\"5\" data-format-design=\"0\" data-format-display=\"0\" class=\"dcr-1bg5532\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/may\/11\/trump-lincoln-memorial-reflecting-pool-makeover\" class=\"dcr-1m887w9\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-ut4tvs\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1h5b6rb\">\n<div class=\"dcr-169d7yv\">Lawsuit seeks to halt Trump\u2019s makeover of Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"dcr-eurq8n\">\n<div class=\"dcr-fkf7vq\">Read more<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Last month, the Trump administration \u2013 vowing to solve the problem once and for all \u2013 awarded a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/may\/09\/trump-no-bid-contract-lincoln-memorial-reflecting-pool\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">no-bid contract<\/a> to waterproof and repaint the pool to a Virginia-based company, Atlantic Industrial Coatings.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The president told journalists the company had successfully carried out work on a swimming pool at his golf club in Sterling, Virginia. In a patriotic flourish, he ordered the firm to repaint the pool\u2019s floor \u201cAmerican flag blue\u201d.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Other companies that do similar work have expressed indignation over being denied the chance to compete for the contract, according to Herbert Zaldivar, the business development director of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.iupat.org\/\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">International Union of Painters and Allied Trades<\/a>, who has visited the site as an observer.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Now the award is threatening to boomerang amid disclosures that Trump drastically understated the contract\u2019s cost, and reports that officials at the Department of the Interior \u2013 which has responsibility for the site \u2013 are dissatisfied with the company\u2019s work.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/05\/12\/us\/politics\/lincoln-memorial-pool-repairs.html\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">New York Times reported <\/a>that interior department staff members had complained of bubbles and small holes appearing in one of the layers meant to waterproof the pool. Documents also revealed concerns over varying shades of blue mottling the pool\u2019s flooring, resulting from an uneven application of tinted waterproofing and fears that a 22 May deadline for completion of the work may be missed.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Meanwhile, the contract\u2019s true cost \u2013 which Trump initially told journalists would be $1.8m \u2013 has been <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/live\/2026\/may\/12\/donald-trump-china-iran-redistricting-jeffrey-epstein-latest-news-updates?page=with%3Ablock-6a03b7658f082e881a333dad#block-6a03b7658f082e881a333dad\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">revealed<\/a> to be $13.1m. Amid the controversy, Trump has distanced himself from the company, contradicting previous statements by denying that he had ever used it, and insisting he was not involved in awarding the contract.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"0fc6620b-b144-4f67-acf3-76d7fcdad4ed\" data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.ImageBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-173mewl\">\n<div id=\"img-2\" class=\"dcr-1t8m8f2\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Aerial view of long strip of land after pool drained\" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/89cdc83850d4ffc84affad23ca66b8fcb72e5d46\/0_0_5909_3939\/master\/5909.jpg?width=445&amp;dpr=1&amp;s=none&amp;crop=none\" width=\"445\" height=\"296.6415637163649\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"dcr-evn1e9\"><a href=\"#img-2\" data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-13fd1ms\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><button data-element-id=\"0fc6620b-b144-4f67-acf3-76d7fcdad4ed\" type=\"button\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-4tmywn\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><span class=\"dcr-194i6pr\">View image in fullscreen<\/span><\/button><\/a><\/div><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-fd61eq\"><span class=\"dcr-1inf02i\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">An aerial view of the ongoing renovations to the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool, as workers add a layer of blue paint in Washington DC on Friday.<\/span> Photograph: Aaron Schwartz\/Reuters<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Visiting the site on a blustery day last week, Zaldivar said he had been contacted by union-affiliated companies anxious to know why the usual bidding process had been circumvented.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cI\u2019m here to verify if the company is in compliance and following the right guidelines,\u201d the union representative said. \u201cIt\u2019s very rare that a job like this, which is a publicly funded contract, doesn\u2019t go to a competitive bid.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cThis didn\u2019t go through the right processes, so we lost the chance for a union-affiliated contractor to be part of the competition.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The federal government has powers to award contracts on a non-competitive basis, but only when there is a risk of competition causing \u201cserious injury\u201d to the government.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Atlantic Industrial Coatings, which is described on its <a href=\"https:\/\/vaspray.com\/aic\/\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">website<\/a> as a \u201cwoman-owned advanced coatings application company\u201d, has never previously been awarded a federal government contract, according to official databases.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Zaldivar said he was concerned for the safety of the workers on the project, none of whom had been willing to talk to him. \u201cThey are afraid to touch the subject, although I will continue to come and try to have conversations with workers,\u201d he said. \u201cWith this project, they are trying to rush on a timescale that is most likely to leave some liability with the contractor.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cThe chemicals are hazardous. My concern is usually the level of risk when it\u2019s rushed. Are workers taking the rightful steps to protect themselves?\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Richard Jones, a company supervisor working on the site, answered \u201cno comment\u201d to a series of questions posed by the Guardian and referred all inquires to the National Park Service. \u201cThat\u2019s who we have a contract with,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">A spokesperson for the Department of the Interior \u2013 the park service\u2019s parent agency \u2013 said: \u201cThere is no merit to these accusations. Like every federal agency, we follow all laws and regulations designed to ensure fair treatment and safety in the workplace.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"b91b516e-39de-4083-9572-91785a5808bd\" data-spacefinder-role=\"richLink\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.RichLinkBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-47fhrn\">\n<div data-print-layout=\"hide\" data-link-name=\"rich-link-21 | 21\" data-component=\"rich-link\" data-name=\"placeholder\" class=\"dcr-1kyw41h\">\n<div data-format-theme=\"5\" data-format-design=\"0\" data-format-display=\"0\" class=\"dcr-1bg5532\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/may\/09\/trump-no-bid-contract-lincoln-memorial-reflecting-pool\" class=\"dcr-1m887w9\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-ut4tvs\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1h5b6rb\">\n<div class=\"dcr-169d7yv\">No-bid contract to turn DC\u2019s reflecting pool blue goes to firm with ties to Trump<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"dcr-eurq8n\">\n<div class=\"dcr-fkf7vq\">Read more<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cUnlike Barack Obama\u2019s over $35m, 18-month long failed effort to fix the reflecting pool \u2013 which failed immediately, President Trump is an expert builder and will get this job done for many generations to come.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Surveying the cordoned-off scene from near the Lincoln Memorial, Al Havinga, a retired civil servant with the US Environmental Protection Agency on a cycle ride with two friends, voiced fears about air pollution arising from the coating materials being used.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cAll this stuff is volatile,\u201d he said. \u201cPeople are breathing in poisonous chemicals. There\u2019s no consideration to the risk to the public in applying this stuff. I would guess they are using volatile organic chemicals. There\u2019s no information on that. It\u2019s opaque.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Tourists visiting from afar voiced a mixture of disappointment and bewilderment at the sight. \u201cIt\u2019s hugely disappointing and ruining the historical integrity,\u201d said Michelle Criswell, a federal government worker from Oklahoma City touring the site with her husband, Michael, referring to the site\u2019s importance in the campaign for Black civil rights.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Criswell, who is African American, added: \u201cI came here for the history and had been looking forward to seeing this site for a while and that\u2019s what I see \u2013 a row of black tarp. I feel that everything that\u2019s being done is being done intentionally.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-print-layout=\"hide\" class=\"dcr-qxqnsy\"><span class=\"dcr-1rq3vad\">Explore more on these topics<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-1dzx48f\">\n<ul class=\"dcr-1rrvs2w\">\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/washington-dc\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">Washington DC<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/us-unions\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">US unions<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/us-politics\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">US politics<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/donaldtrump\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">Donald Trump<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/trump-administration\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">Trump administration<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/tone\/news\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">news<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"dcr-nu129i\"><a href=\"mailto:?subject=Workers%20racing%20to%20turn%20reflecting%20pool%20blue%20for%20Trump%20may%20be%20at%20risk,%20union%20warns&amp;body=https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/may\/17\/trump-washington-dc-reflecting-pool?CMP=share_btn_url\" class=\"dcr-125qj9d\">Share<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-zhx6xs\"><a data-link-name=\"meta-syndication-article\" href=\"https:\/\/syndication.theguardian.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fus-news%2F2026%2Fmay%2F17%2Ftrump-washington-dc-reflecting-pool&amp;type=article&amp;internalpagecode=us-news\/2026\/may\/17\/trump-washington-dc-reflecting-pool\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"Reuse this content\" class=\"dcr-14rjinq\">Reuse this content<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:right-column\" data-gu-name=\"right-column\" class=\"dcr-1h2hraq\">\n<div class=\"dcr-tn16h9\">\n<section class=\"dcr-1hko8ef\"><\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Workers apply a blue protective coating as part of a renovation project to the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":1254,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1253","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1253","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1253"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1253\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1255,"href":"https:\/\/usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1253\/revisions\/1255"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1254"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1253"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1253"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1253"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}