'Team Trump's latest no-bid contract: $5 million to coat horse statues in gold'

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7. 'The Interior Department quickly gave nearly $100 million in contracts in a rush to beautify D.C.'

"As Trump hurries to put his stamp on a city he’s long denigrated as crumbling and ugly, his administration has doled out tens of millions of dollars for contracts with short timelines and little oversight."

"In total, the Interior Department is spending at least $95 million in taxpayer funds for new D.C. beautification projects, according to a NOTUS review of government spending data. All of the projects identified by NOTUS were initiated between December 2025 and April of this year. About $20 million in contracts, including the gilding of the four horses, have not previously been reported."

"At Meridian Hill park, $4 million was spent to renew the grass and trees across the park, in addition to $11.3 million to restore the fountains that tumble down the park’s lower half. The renovations to Meridian Hill Park alone cost $800,000 more than the price quoted in the original contracts."

"The Freedom Plaza beautification project, originally priced around $9 million, jumped by around $500,000 in costs in April. A month later, a dozen new statues were installed in a rectangular shape around the edges of the park, resembling pieces on a chess board."

"Many of the contracts were awarded without a full and open competition, according to the government contracting database. Instead, the Trump administration applied laws that allow contracts to be awarded to minority-owned, women-owned, or small businesses without the full rigor of an open competition."

https://www.notus.org/trump-white-house/national-park-service-dc-beautification-contracts-horse-statues