Senators demand answers as Trump claims 'complete control of our nation’s capital'

Donald Trump at the Trump International Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey on July 28, 2022 (Image: Shutterstock)

Congressional leaders want answers from the Interior Department after President Donald Trump's administration abruptly moved to take back control of Washington, D.C.’s three public golf courses.

The Washington Post reported Monday that the administration's moves are raising alarms about transparency, public access, and potential presidential self-dealing. The courses in D.C. include East Potomac Park, Rock Creek Park and Langston. They sit on National Park Service land and have long been operated under a 50-year lease by the nonprofit National Links Trust (NLT), which was selected in 2020 to restore the aging facilities and preserve affordable public golf in the nation’s capital.

The NLT has slowly been renovating the courses, beginning with East Potomac Park. Then, suddenly, the Interior Department cut off the lease only a few years into it.

In late 2025, Interior notified NLT it was in default, but according to the nonprofit, it did not clearly specify the violations or how to cure them. Then, on Dec. 30, the department terminated the lease, claiming NLT failed to carry out required capital improvements and rent obligations. NLT forcefully disputes that.

Four senators from the D.C. region sent a letter Monday to Interior Department Secretary Doug Burgum questioning the move and demanding an explanation.

“The Trump Administration seems to feel they have complete control of our nation’s capital, Washington D.C., when in reality, we — the Senators of its neighboring states — know D.C. belongs to the American people and great people of the District,” said Sen. Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.) in a statement. “The Administration’s ousting of National Links Trust in addition to dumping their new ballroom construction debris on the East Potomac White Course is just further proof of this Administration’s complete overreach.”

The senators want specific details about the violations they're claiming the courses made and whether the NLT was given time to comply with the demands before the decision to end the lease was made.

The lease requires that if there are issues, the department must "provide sufficient time to remedy them, as required under the lease," the report said.

Lawmakers are also angry that none of the officials in the region were notified.

“The Trump Administration is attempting to rob local communities of these treasured recreational spaces,” said Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) in a statement. “The public has a right to know what legal justification the Administration has for this takeover, as well as any public health and safety risks resulting from their activities on these properties.”

They also want to know about the construction debris the White House dumped into the Potomac River from the demolition of the East Wing. There remains an open question about whether the construction material contained hazardous materials, as other parts of the White House have. The lawmakers want to know if any steps were taken to protect "assess risks to golfers, employees, youth participants and the surrounding environment."

“Decisions affecting their future — and the health and safety of the public — must be guided by law, transparency, and respect for long-standing partnerships,” the senators said in the statement.

The Links Trust has continued to operate two of the three courses while exploring legal options.

Trump, who owns his own golf courses, expressed interest in rebuilding the East Potomac course, located just south of the Tidal Basin and a popular tourist spot during the spring cherry blossom season.

As Americans question the president's economic policy and an affordability crisis, Trump has turned his eyes to building his ballroom, reconstructing golf courses, and building a large arch while issuing foreign threats, bombings, and an invasion to nab a Venezuelan political leader. Trump personally shopped for marble and onyx for the ballroom at a local Florida tile store on the day before the raid in Venezuela. The stop was before he went to play golf.

Read the full report here.

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