00:00The reflecting pool story isn't over yet and it just got a lot more expensive. Here's what's
00:05happening. Trump initially said this project would cost $1.8 million. Federal records now
00:11show the bill is $13.1 million. In April, the government hired a Virginia company called
00:16Atlantic Industrial Coatings without putting up the job for open competition, which is a
00:21standard requirement. To skip the normal bidding process, officials declared it an emergency.
00:26The company had never worked on a government contract before, and its website shows they
00:31specialize in waterproofing highway pipes and rooftops, not pools.
00:35So then last Friday, without an explanation, the government added another $6.2 million,
00:40bringing the total to $13.1 million. So this is where it gets a little complicated.
00:45In the Oval Office last month, Trump said he knew the guys responsible for the job and
00:49that they had worked on pools for him in the past. But this week on Truth Social, after
00:54the New York Times reported the ballooning costs, he wrote that the Interior Department
00:58gave out the contract to a company that he had never used before.
01:02Trump never named Atlantic in the Oval Office, so whether that's the company he's referring
01:06to hasn't been confirmed yet. Meanwhile, Interior Department staff flagged that the paint isn't
01:11drying properly, leaving uneven patches and different shades of blue across the basin.
01:15I don't know, that's less American flag and more roof of the IHOP.
01:20The project is already behind schedule, will reportedly miss its May 22 deadline, and since
01:25it is just a coating, experts say the pool will still leak 16 million gallons of water
01:30every year. Critics in Congress call it a scam.
01:33A no-bid contract is reserved for situations where, quote, any delay would cause serious injury
01:39to the government. What is your, your proposition is what? That there'd be serious injury to the
01:44government if this company didn't get the $13 million contract to do this particular project
01:48right now? Well, I think we do have a sense of urgency. I mean, we got handed a record amount
01:53of deferred maintenance. We had 19 fountains across the city that didn't work.
01:56That's the serious injury to the government? The serious injury to the government?
02:00But the White House says the higher price reflects the cost of moving faster and increased labor.
02:05So long story short, the reflecting pool is getting a $13 million paint job, but it'll
02:10still leak 16 million gallons of water every year.
02:12So is that money well spent, or did the taxpayers just foot the bill for a makeover? Drop your
02:17take in the comments and follow us here for more.
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