President Trump ordered contractors to dismantle and redo weeks of work on a privately requested White House helipad, delaying progress and adding costs. A July directive pushed Clark Construction to meet a Sept. 17 deadline, reportedly adding about $875,000. The helipad is part of a $13 million renovation; earlier claims that Sikorsky would fund a $5–6 million pad leave taxpayers likely to cover the remainder. The move follows a DOJ filing that attributed a Reflecting Pool liner failure to flawed contractor work.
Trump Orders White House Helipad Rebuilt, Forcing Contractors To Undo Weeks Of Work
Trump Abruptly Changes Course on Renovation, Undoing Weeks of Work
President Donald Trump has ordered contractors to dismantle and redo weeks of work on a new White House helipad after previously directing crews to accelerate the project.
Photographs obtained by The Washington Post show crews taking apart portions of work completed over more than a month. It is not yet clear how much the new alterations will cost or whether the helipad can still be finished on the original schedule.
Last-Minute Deadline And Added Costs
In early July, Clark Construction was given a last-minute order to have the helipad completed by Sept. 17, a change that officials say added roughly $875,000 to the project’s cost. The timeline was reportedly tied to an "upcoming state visit" after President Trump invited Chinese President Xi Jinping for Sept. 24.
Contracting Questions
Clark Construction was awarded a no-bid contract to build the helipad. Earlier statements by the White House indicated Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin subsidiary that manufactures Marine One helicopters, would cover a $5 million–$6 million pad featuring a White House seal carved from granite. Officials now say it appears likely that taxpayers will cover any remaining expenses.
Context And Related Work
The helipad is one element of a broader $13 million renovation that has included work on the South Portico and the driveway. The timing of the redo comes after a Department of Justice court filing acknowledged that the liner peeling from the underside of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool resulted from a "flawed" application by contractors selected under the same administration.
Other recent projects at the White House have included temporary protective tarps over the front facade, security upgrades to main doors, repairs to the North Portico columns, plans to modify parts of the East Wing, and work around the Rose Garden. Officials have offered varying accounts of costs and funding sources for several of these efforts.
Note: Estimates and attributions cited in reporting remain subject to confirmation by official budget and contracting records.
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