{"id":190301,"date":"2026-05-12T16:48:08","date_gmt":"2026-05-12T16:48:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/190301\/"},"modified":"2026-05-12T16:48:08","modified_gmt":"2026-05-12T16:48:08","slug":"pennsylvania-sen-john-fetterman-rips-media-henpecking-over-trump-reflecting-pool-rehab","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/190301\/","title":{"rendered":"Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman Rips Media \u2018Henpecking\u2019 Over Trump Reflecting Pool Rehab"},"content":{"rendered":"

Senator John Fetterman (D-PA) is calling out the media\u2019s fixation on the price tag of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool restoration, urging critics to \u201cget over it\u201d and celebrate the preservation of a national landmark. The project, a priority for President Donald Trump ahead of the nation\u2019s 250th anniversary, is currently estimated to cost $13.1 million following necessary adjustments to meet an ambitious deadline.<\/p>\n

The Interior Department added $6.2 million to the project contract on Friday to account for the specialized labor and materials required to expedite the repairs.<\/p>\n

While the New York Times highlighted that the figure sits above the President\u2019s initial $1.8 million projection, officials say the cost reflects the reality of a high-pressure timeline.<\/p>\n

The Virginia-based Atlantic Industrial Coatings was brought on via a no-bid contract in April\u2014a move justified by the urgent need to prevent \u201cserious injury\u201d to the government\u2019s ability to host the upcoming 250th celebrations.<\/p>\n

READ: Trump Brands War Leaks \u2018Treason,\u2019 Orders DOJ To Subpoena Journalists<\/a><\/p>\n

President Trump previously noted that the company was selected based on their proven track record, including work at his golf club in Sterling, Virginia. The restoration isn\u2019t just a patch job; it involves sealing leaking concrete joints, applying a specialized \u201cAmerican Flag Blue\u201d waterproof coating, and installing a modern ozone nanobubbler filtration system.<\/p>\n

\u201cPresident Trump has done more to make our nation\u2019s capital a shining beacon than any other president in the history of this country,\u201d a DOI spokesperson said, noting that the National Park Service chose the best firm to ensure the pool remains a \u201cmagical spot\u201d for generations.<\/p>\n

The DOI also clarified that the increased cost is a direct result of the \u201ceffort necessary to expedite the timeline,\u201d citing the need for \u201cmore people, more materials, more equipment and longer hours.\u201d<\/p>\n

READ: 78 Super Bowls In 38 Days: DHS Scrambles To Secure World Cup After Record Shutdown<\/a><\/p>\n

Despite the media scrutiny, Senator Fetterman emerged as an unexpected ally of the project\u2019s progress. In a Monday post on X, the Pennsylvania Senator told the Times to \u201cstop this henpecking.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Pennsylvania<\/p>\n

Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman<\/p>\n

\u201c$13M? This is an iconic American place and was in serious disrepair,\u201d Fetterman wrote. \u201cGet over the TDS and celebrate this is getting done for our 250th.\u201d<\/p>\n

The project now includes a dedicated maintenance crew to protect the site from wildlife damage, ensuring the reflecting pool is in peak condition for the millions of visitors expected to descend on the capital for the upcoming national milestone.<\/p>\n

Please make a small donation to the Tampa Free Press to help sustain independent journalism<\/a>. Your contribution enables us to continue delivering high-quality, local, and national news coverage.<\/p>\n

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Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman Rips Media \u2018Henpecking\u2019 Over Trump Reflecting Pool Rehab<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Senator John Fetterman (D-PA) is calling out the media\u2019s fixation on the price tag of the Lincoln Memorial…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":190302,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[84829,46360,4283,28,30,29,5796,84828,3857],"class_list":["post-190301","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-pennsylvania","tag-atlantic-industrial-coatings","tag-interior-department","tag-john-fetterman","tag-pennsylvania","tag-pennsylvania-headlines","tag-pennsylvania-news","tag-pennsylvania-senator","tag-reflecting-pool","tag-trump"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/190301","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=190301"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/190301\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/190302"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=190301"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=190301"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=190301"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}