On Wednesday, Rep. Jared Huffman of California announced that the National Park Service had awarded a $389,355 contract to Vanasse Hangen Brustlin Inc. for environmental and historic preservation compliance work at East Potomac Golf Links, a public course opened in 1919.
The contract came to light during the House Natural Resources Committee hearing, where Huffman accused the NPS of hiring the firm without a public announcement or advance notice to Congress, sparking immediate calls for transparency.
Trump’s administration has long touted the golf course as a future world‑class venue, with a projected construction contract of up to $49 million slated for solicitation on January 31, 2027. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, however, warned that the full course design remains unfinished, making cost estimates premature.
In a coalition letter, Huffman, Maryland Rep. Jamie Raskin, D.C. Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton, and Virginia Rep. Don Beyer requested all project documents from Interior Secretary Burgum and NPS Director Jessica Bowron, arguing that East Potomac is a public asset, not a private development.
Residents around the park fear that the upgrade will raise fees and restrict access, while the NPS has noted that debris from the White House East Wing demolition—containing lead and chromium—has been deposited on the grounds, complicating the site’s environmental profile.
The next step will be a formal request for records from the Office of the Inspector General, with the committee scheduled to hold a follow‑up hearing in early February to determine whether the NPS complied with federal procurement rules.