Interior Secretary Criticizes New York Times Report on Reflecting Pool Repairs

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum criticized a New York Times report on the cost and condition of repairs to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. " He stated that joints replaced in 2019 continue to leak 16 million gallons of water annually, which the National Park Service replaces at taxpayer expense.

Burgum said new joints made of industrial-grade, leak-proof materials passed testing last week. Installation of one full-scale joint is underway, with the remaining four scheduled for Saturday and Sunday.

Last month President Trump ordered the repair work ahead of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. The project includes repainting the pool "American flag blue" and making it leak-proof. Burgum attributed the original leaks to expansion joints installed during the Obama administration, which he said failed and cost taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars each year.

Taylor, a spokeswoman for The New York Times, said the article was based on National Park Service reports obtained by the newspaper. She stated that Burgum’s comments confirmed the outlet’s reporting on the agency’s difficulties finding a solution to the leakage. Earlier this week President Trump also called the same New York Times report inaccurate.