President Trump is defending his costly refurbishment of the Reflecting Pool on the National Mall as the Senate is poised to debate $1 billion for his glitzy White House ballroom.
Trump insisted the repainting and patching of the leaky national treasure is going swimmingly even though reports point to a shocking 600% cost overrun.
“When it is complete, there will be no leakage, which there was since its 1922 construction,” Trump wrote on his social media site as he flew to China on Wednesday. “It will SPARKLE magnificently as the water is put in, and begins to rise. A very tricky and difficult construction job will yield a beautiful result!”
Trump originally said the project, which he wants done pronto in advance of the nation’s 250th birthday this summer, would cost $1.8 million. It has now ballooned by 627% to an estimated $13.1 million, according to the New York Times.
“Trump is going off the deep end with the reflecting pool: a $13 million no-bid deal for his buddies while American families are drowning in costs,” Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-New York), the minority leader, told the Daily News on Wednesday.
The costly Reflecting Pool project is getting attention as congressional Republicans seek to add $1 billion for Trump’s sprawling White House ballroom to a $72 billion bill funding his immigration crackdown that GOP leaders plan to pass in coming days on a party-line vote that skirts the Senate filibuster rule.
Democrats hope to convince a handful of Republicans to break ranks and shoot down the ballroom funding, which the White House insists is strictly for security upgrades.
If not, they will force a series of politically painful votes on the topic that could be used as ammunition against endangered incumbents in the midterm elections.
Trump has taken an intense personal interest in the Reflecting Pool project, calling the area “filthy” before workers started working to repaint it and patch the century-old landmark. Trump even took a quick ride from the White House to get a firsthand look at the drained and partially repainted pool.
A preservation group has sued to block the project, which Trump launched without input or approval from groups that normally oversee major landmarks in the nation’s capital.
A federal judge also temporarily blocked much of the ballroom construction but an appeals court allowed work to resume as legal wrangling plays out.
Trump originally said the gaudy ballroom would cost $200 million and completely demolished the East Wing after initially saying he wouldn’t damage it. The price tag has since doubled to an estimated $400 million as the real estate mogul splurges on high-end extras like fancy marble.
He repeatedly vowed private donors would bankroll the entire ballroom and that it wouldn’t cost taxpayers a dime. Now he wants Uncle Sam to pay $1 billion for the project’s security upgrades that Republicans say are especially needed after the shooting attack on the White House Correspondents Dinner.