The White House on Friday proposed a $10 billion fund intended to help beautify Washington, the latest effort by President Donald Trump to remake a city he long criticized for being dirty and unworthy of serving as the nation’s capital.
The planned Presidential Capital Stewardship Program would be overseen by the National Park Service. It would help coordinate and fund construction and beautification projects in and around Washington, such as renovating parks and infrastructure that show signs of decay.
The proposal could partially address the long-standing complaint from local officials and groups that the federal government has neglected investments in public spaces and infrastructure it oversees in Washington. Some advocates, however, expressed concern that the proposed fund could also give Trump a way to claim congressional authorization for his more controversial ideas for new monuments and other changes.
According to the administration’s budget plan, the fund would be used for projects that “would improve safety and accessibility, rehabilitate historic buildings and landscapes, and enhance architectural grandeur so that Americans can once again be proud of the Nation’s capital.” The administration also said the “generational investment” in Washington would drive local economic development and increase tourism.
The White House and the National Park Service did not immediately respond to questions about the proposal and if there are priority projects the president is seeking to fund. Lawmakers with jurisdiction over funding the National Park Service and Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) also did not immediately respond to questions about whether they would support Trump’s proposal.
Bowser last year urged the administration to focus on cleaning up local parks, fixing fountains and improving staffing on Park Service properties.
Trump has spent much of his second term focused on overhauling Washington, an agenda that has sometimes divided residents.
Some of the president’s plans — particularly his efforts to remake the White House and desire to build a 250-foot triumphal arch — have drawn complaints and lawsuits. He also deployed the National Guard last year in what the White House called an effort to “restore law and order,” prompting backlash and protests.
Other moves, such as his administration’s work to fix the city’s long-broken public fountains, have been praised. He has also shuttered parks for renovations as part of efforts to celebrate the nation’s 250th anniversary, ordered the cleanup of homeless encampments and called for cleaning up graffiti on public monuments.
“It was a real bad place. It was a real mess. Dirty, filthy, disgusting. Graffiti all over the place. Tents on every ounce of parks that we had. Just disgusting,” Trump said at the White House in October, adding that he had seen major changes after deploying the National Guard and ordering local cleanups. “We have a city that we can be proud of.”
The president’s new funding proposal was praised by some advocates for beautifying the city, such as Justin Shubow, the president of the National Civic Art Society, a nonprofit focused on classical art and architecture.
“It’s wonderful to see the interest in beautifying Washington, D.C., which FDR called the loveliest city in the world,” said Shubow, who also chairs a Trump administration council focused on beautifying transportation infrastructure. “There’s so much to do. Besides repairing iconic fountains, the featureless Theodore Roosevelt Bridge ought to be completed with large carved sculptures as originally intended.”
Charles A. Birnbaum, who heads the Cultural Landscape Foundation, an education and advocacy organization, said he had an equal share of “optimism and concern” after reviewing the proposal.
“Addressing the deferred maintenance backlog in the city’s National Parks and treasured landmarks is necessary,” Birnbaum said in a statement. “However, looking under the hood is imperative as this opaque language could provide cover for funding some of the president’s other pet projects, which could negatively impact the capital’s Monumental Core.”
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