Overview
- In mid-April the National Park Service awarded a $5 million contract to a Maryland gilding studio to repair four bronze horse statues around the Lincoln Memorial and coat them in 23.75‑karat gold leaf.
- The work is to be finished before the July 4, 2026 semiquincentennial and is one element of about $95–100 million in beautification projects the Interior Department initiated this winter and spring.
- Reporting says the gilding contract was awarded without a full competition, raising questions about procurement rules, the use of expedited or sole‑source awards, and the risk of higher costs or rushed work.
- The projects have produced cultural and political pushback, with five of nine acts withdrawing from a Trump‑backed Great American State Fair tied to the 250th and artists saying they were misled about the event.
- Separately, unnamed sources have told reporters officials pressed the Bureau of Engraving and Printing to explore placing the president’s image on a proposed $250 bill, a move that faces legal limits on depicting living people and remains unconfirmed.