As Americans struggle under the yoke of a deepening affordability crisis, Donald Trump has spent the past month fixated on the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. New reporting by the New York Times shows that he directed federal dollars to a company owned by one of his own donors to renovate the reflecting pool — completely bypassing the competitive bidding process to benefit the donor. The result? Fluorescent-green algae, peeling paint the length of a football field, a price tag that has ballooned by tens of millions of dollars, and a contractor charging the government nearly double the standard profit margin. Read more about Trump’s reflecting pool grift scheme here:
BY THE NUMBERS
- The Trump administration awarded a high-dollar donor’s company Greenwater Services a no-bid contract worth $1.7 million to install a nano bubble filtration system.
- Cafaro’s firm is charging the federal government a 20% profit margin — exceeding the standard federal ceiling by 2-3 times.
- Cafaro donated $50,000 to Trump’s 2016 veterans fundraiser, one of the largest single gifts that night.
Trump Steered a Federal Contract to His Own Donor and Mar-a-Lago Neighbor J.J. Cafaro. In April, the National Park Service awarded Greenwater Services, owned by J.J. Cafaro’s investment trust, a $1.7 million no-bid contract to install a “Nano Bubble” water-purification system in the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. Greenwater Services had received only one prior federal contract before Trump’s administration handed it control of one of the country’s most visited landmarks. A neighbor to Mar-a-Lago, Cafaro donated $50,000 to Trump at a 2016 veterans fundraiser, making one of the largest single gifts that night. Trump has publicly called Cafaro a “fantastic man.”
- J.J. Cafaro Has Two Federal Criminal Convictions. Cafaro is a twice-convicted federal criminal. In 2001, Cafaro pleaded guilty to conspiracy to bribe former Ohio Rep. James Traficant, later testifying against the expelled congressman in federal court. Cafaro again pleaded guilty in federal court in 2010 to making a false statement in connection with a campaign finance contribution, paying a $250,000 fine and receiving two years of probation.
- Trump’s Interior Department Contradicted White House Claims of ‘No Involvement’ In Selecting Cafaro. Trump’s Interior Department told the New York Times it was unaware of Cafaro’s political affiliation when it awarded the contract to his company. A Trump White House spokesperson later said the White House played no role in selecting Greenwater. But the documented record shows that David Schutzenhofer, general manager of Trump’s Bedminster, New Jersey, golf club, advised the Park Service on the project and was in direct contact with Greenwater as early as January 2026.
The Administration Manufactured a Deadline to Skip Competitive Bidding On Pool Work. Trump’s Park Service justified bypassing competition on the contract by invoking a so-called urgency exemption, citing the need to finish the work in time for Trump’s 250th fourth of July celebrations. The sole-source justification document cited that deadline, but provided no specific date by which installation had to be complete. A second no-bid contract worth $14.7 million went to Atlantic Industrial Coatings for the same stated reason of urgent need. A new lawsuit against the Trump administration suggests that Trump even unlawfully began altering the pool, a registered historic landmark, without conducting required consultations.
Cafaro’s Award Includes A Profit Margin Inflated 2–3 Times Higher Than the Standard Federal Ceiling. On top of the no-bid award, Cafaro’s Greenwater Services is getting a 20% profit margin, which even a government analysis flagged as “inflated.” The standard federal ceiling runs from 6% to 12% — meaning Cafaro is getting 2–3 times the standard federal profit on similar jobs. The Interior Department has reportedly not yet indicated whether it attempted to negotiate the rate before executing the contract.
Millions of Dollars Later, The Pool Is Still Green. After Greenwater installed its system and the pool was refilled, fluorescent-green algae bloomed and the “American Flag Blue” waterproofing paint applied to the pool floor peeled off in massive sheets. Workers have since attempted to vacuum out algae and added hydrogen peroxide to the water, killing ducklings in the process. Trump responded by blaming vandals (without any evidence) and announcing Park Police arrests.
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