TCLF sues DOI over Trump's plan to paint Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool blue

The Cultural Landscape Foundation (TCLF) has initiated legal action against the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) to prevent the blue painting of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, a directive from President Trump. Situated within the National Mall and recognized on the National Register of Historic Places, the pool is overseen by the National Park Service. Trump revealed the initiative on Truth Social in late April, with construction crews currently halfway through the painting, set to conclude by July 4. A $13.1 million no-bid contract, initially $6.9 million, was granted to Atlantic Industrial Coatings, a Virginia firm previously engaged by Trump. TCLF, through the Washington Litigation Group, is pursuing a temporary restraining order, contending that the dark grey basin is essential to the original design. TCLF President Charles Birnbaum emphasized that the pool is a component of a larger designed landscape, arguing that a blue hue disrupts the solemnity between the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial. Additionally, Maryland Congressman Jamie Raskin has proposed legislation, supported by the AIA, to eliminate the White House's exemption from Section 106, amid multiple violations by the Trump administration concerning federal projects.