Senators Sheldon Whitehouse and Martin Heinrich requested on Aug. 5 that the Office of Inspector General at the U.S. Department of Interior open an investigation into alleged false statements and misrepresentations by the department regarding problems with the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool’s new liner.
In a letter, Whitehouse, Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, and Heinrich, Ranking Member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, said they sought answers about what employees knew about peeling coating at the pool and when they became aware. The senators cited a July 31 motion from the U.S. Attorneys’ Office for the District of Columbia to dismiss felony vandalism charges against former Olympic athlete David Hearn after documents from Interior indicated repeated failures in installation and extensive peeling throughout the pool.
The project began in April 2026 under President Trump’s administration with two no-bid contracts to re-coat the Reflecting Pool ahead of America 250 celebrations. Costs rose from an initial estimate of $1.5–$2 million to over $16 million within two months. After public reports surfaced in June about peeling coating, Hearn was arrested for allegedly damaging it; however, later evidence suggested that installation flaws caused most damage prior to his arrest.
The senators wrote: “We write to request that the Office of Inspector General investigate what employees of the Department of the Interior knew—and when they knew it—regarding the peeling of the coating and other engineering issues at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.” They also referenced withheld exculpatory information: “[T]he withholding of this exculpatory information walked DOJ lawyers into a violation of their Brady and Giglio obligations.”
President Trump publicly blamed vandals for a large gash in comments following arrests at the site, while Secretary Doug Burgum tweeted after charges were dropped: “The evidence is clear, vandals have repeatedly caused damage to the Reflecting Pool.” The senators questioned how these narratives developed given internal knowledge documented before Hearn’s arrest.
Accordingly, Whitehouse and Heinrich concluded: “We urge your office to open an immediate investigation into DOI’s knowledge … including what was known, who knew it, and when they knew it—and whether DOI employees intentionally withheld evidence from USAO-DC.”
The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee has oversight jurisdiction over public buildings in Washington D.C., while Energy and Natural Resources oversees most operations within Interior including National Park Service bureaus. According to the official website, this committee handles federal programs related to environmental quality as well as infrastructure legislation nationwide.