Updated

Updated · The Washington Post · Aug 28

RTEC Treecare Removes 60-Plus Trees at East Potomac Golf Links Ahead of Sept. 1 Trump Project

Updated

Updated · The Washington Post · Aug 28

RTEC Treecare Removes 60-Plus Trees at East Potomac Golf Links Ahead of Sept. 1 Trump Project

Q: Who will ultimately pay for the extensive seawall repairs and earthmoving required to transform this historic, flood-prone public park?

It is not yet clear who will pay. The administration has not released a cost estimate, a funding plan, or private-financing details for the East Potomac overhaul, and senators have formally asked whether seawall reconstruction would be paid through federal appropriations, private donations, or some combination. What is clear is that the biggest bill may not be the golf course itself but the site work around it. East Potomac Park sits on low, sinking, flood-prone land with a deteriorating Hains Point seawall, a high water table, and recurring tidal flooding. Experts cited in reporting say any championship-style redesign would likely require major earthmoving, fill, and seawall repair before or alongside golf construction. One report, citing Golf Digest, said rebuilding the island seawall alone could exceed $600 million. Because the course is on National Park Service land, any large-scale seawall and landscape stabilization work would ordinarily point toward substantial public involvement unless private donors or partners are identified. But no such binding funding structure has been disclosed. National Links Trust has declined to comment, and the Interior Department has not said whether Congress has been consulted about taxpayer support. So, for now, the honest answer is that the ultimate payer remains unknown. The unresolved possibilities are U.S. taxpayers, private donors, or a hybrid arrangement, but the government has not publicly said which path it intends to take.

1 articles · Updated · The Washington Post · Aug 28

More than 60 trees appear to have been removed in recent weeks at East Potomac Golf Links, with RTEC Treecare crews still cutting on Thursday even though the Trump administration has not formally started its promised renovation.
Sept. 1 remains the administration’s stated target, but officials have released no final design, construction schedule or cost estimate, and have not said whether the public course or surrounding park areas will close.
Interior called the work routine maintenance—selective removal of hazardous, invasive or dying trees—rather than preparation for a redesign, though some removals reached playing corridors on all three courses.
Judge Ana Reyes had warned in May that the government should give advance notice before removing more than 10 trees or bringing in large equipment; a person familiar with the case said neither the court nor plaintiffs were notified.
Court filings Friday underscored the uncertainty: the Justice Department said no final agency action has occurred, while required preservation, environmental and planning approvals still appear unfinished.