Park Service quietly awards contracts for work on Trump’s East Potomac Golf Links takeover

WASHINGTON - The Trump administration has quietly awarded contracts to begin work on President Donald Trump’s planned overhaul of the East Potomac Golf Links in Washington, D.C. according to Democrats on the House Natural Resources Committee.

Rep. Jared Huffman of California, the committee’s top Democrat, said during a hearing that the National Park Service hired a civil engineering firm to begin work on the historic public course without any public announcement or notice to Congress. 

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A lawsuit challenging the redevelopment argues the project would violate the congressional act that established the park more than a century ago.

Huffman called East Potomac "a beloved public space with huge historic significance" and accused Trump of trying to turn the publicly accessible course into "another gilded private golf club for the mega-rich," with taxpayers footing the bill.

A contract approved last week authorizes nearly $400,000 for a Massachusetts-based company to conduct environmental and historic preservation compliance work. 

The Park Service has also posted a projected construction contract worth up to $49 million, with an expected solicitation date of Jan. 31, 2027.

Huffman said Democrats are monitoring the project closely and will continue pressing for transparency. "We’re not going to let Donald Trump walk off with our public lands," he said.

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The $389,355 award to Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc., which has offices in Washington and other states, follows months of activity at the park. 

Earlier this year, the administration said it reached an agreement with Fazio Golf Design to draw up renovation plans. 

Trump has said he wants to transform the course into a world-class venue as part of his broader vision for the District, where he has demolished structures, remade others and deployed the National Guard for more than a year.

Huffman, along with Maryland Reps. Jamie Raskin and Glenn Ivey, D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton and Virginia Rep. Don Beyer, sent a letter to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and acting Park Service Director Jessica Bowron demanding all documents and communications related to the project. "East Potomac Park does not belong to Donald Trump," they wrote. "It belongs to the American people."

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An Interior Department spokesperson said the full course design has not been finalized and that cost estimates based on early notices are premature.

East Potomac Park, including the golf course, was created by Congress in 1897 for the "recreation and the pleasure of the people." The course opened in 1919.

Trump began discussing changes to the city’s public courses late last year. Debris from the demolished East Wing of the White House was dumped at East Potomac, forming a three-story mound near one of the three courses. The Park Service has said the debris tested positive for lead, chromium and other toxic metals.

Trump posted on social media in June that the renovated course would be capable of hosting major golf tournaments, including the U.S. Open and the Ryder Cup, and said work was expected to begin Sept. 1.

Some residents worry the redevelopment could alter the character of a place that has served Washingtonians for generations. They fear higher fees and a loss of public space if the course becomes more upscale.

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