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Interior Secretary Doug Burgum defended the ongoing restoration of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, arguing that the project has faced significant engineering challenges while still moving faster and costing less than a previous effort undertaken more than a decade ago.

Burgum described the scale of the project and said crews have encountered numerous unexpected complications while working to repair the iconic Washington, D.C., landmark.

“These folks are awarded the bid because they have the material, they have the capability, they have everything. Then you get in, you’re doing, that f**king pool, it’s eight acres, it’s the size of seven football fields, it’s taller than the Empire State Building. It’s like the length of, like, five watch and monuments,” Burgum said.

According to Burgum, the complexity of the project became clear once construction began.

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He said crews discovered additional work that was not apparent at the outset, while weather-related delays added to the challenges.

“You get into that, there’s two and a half miles of expansion joints, the amount of things that they’ve uncovered that are extra cost, and then every time there’s a rain, there’s a rain delay. They had to bring labor in. Cost is one thing, profit is another,” Burgum said.

Burgum pushed back against criticism focused on projected contractor profits, arguing that rising costs and unforeseen circumstances can affect the final financial outcome.

“Yeah, but if their costs are going up because of trying to get this project done, that’s a theoretical number that somebody said they might make that much money, doesn’t mean they’re going to make that much money,” Burgum said.

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The Interior secretary said the primary goal is ensuring that the reflecting pool is finally repaired after years of problems.

He pointed to reporting from more than a decade ago regarding a previous renovation effort under the Obama administration.

“And, but what we are doing is we are getting the thing fixed, because this is the New York Times also wrote 12 years ago that the Obama administration spent more money, it was reflecting pool was closed for two years, it never worked,” Burgum said.

Burgum said the pool continued to experience major leakage issues even after the earlier project was completed.

He claimed the federal government inherited a system that was losing tens of thousands of gallons of water each day.

“That thing, even right now, when we took this project over, was leaking 45,000 gallons of water a day, 16 million gallons a year, because the thing never worked, and they spent more money, and it was closed for two years,” Burgum said.

Burgum argued that the current administration has significantly improved the pace and efficiency of the project compared to the previous effort.

“So everybody should be celebrating President Trump getting a project done in 1/10 the time, so 10 times faster at a fraction of the cost of a previous administration,” Burgum said.

He contrasted the reaction to the current project with the response to the earlier renovation, saying there was little public criticism despite the delays and ongoing problems.

“There was no outrage then. There should be outrage,” Burgum said.

Burgum said the current work is intended to deliver a lasting solution and ensure the reflecting pool is ready for upcoming events.

“That thing turned into an LG driven slew, and this thing is going to be fantastic. It’s going to be open in time for the celebration,” Burgum said.

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The reflecting pool, located between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument, remains one of the most recognizable landmarks in the nation’s capital.

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