A senior House Democrat is trying to use the federal checkbook to limit President Trump's plans for the East Potomac golf course in Washington. Rep. Jared Huffman of California, the top Democrat on the House Natural Resources Committee, asked House and Senate appropriations leaders on Thursday to write limits into year-end spending legislation. Those limits would keep seawall repair money from paying for a golf overhaul and would forbid any sale or transfer of the park to Trump, his family or their businesses.
The request lands in a crowded week. According to Just the News, which cited The Hill and a Justice Department filing, a federal judge has granted an injunction aimed at tree-cutting at the park, the Justice Department has confirmed the course will close Nov. 15, and a championship-course design is headed to a federal planning board. Huffman is in the minority, so whether his language survives the spending talks is uncertain.
What Huffman Is Asking For
The administration has requested $500 million for National Park Service construction. According to the Washington Post, that money includes "targeted restoration and construction" for the East Potomac seawall and the World War II Memorial. Huffman's argument is that the seawall and the golf course are tied together, and that the repair money could end up underwriting the course.
His proposal would still allow routine maintenance and replacement of the seawall along its current line. Just the News reported that it would bar federal money for redesigning or expanding the course, changing roads, removing healthy trees, putting up new buildings or reshaping the land. That detailed list could not be checked against the letter, which was not reviewed for this story. ABC News reported that it obtained the letter, in which Huffman calls his proposal "commonsense guardrails" that Trump should have no objection to if the seawall work is done in good faith.
The Post quoted the letter on the sale question: "Congress should now use the power of the purse to close the door on a land sale."
The Sale Worry, and What's Behind It
In a press release, Huffman's office said the administration asked for supplemental money in June to rebuild the seawall. The release also claims the project became a priority only after Trump expressed interest in a championship course, and points to what it calls a loophole in federal law that would let the Interior Secretary sell Park Service land. It quotes the letter warning that "without clear guardrails, taxpayers could end up footing the bill for seawall repairs that ultimately help pad Trump's golf course portfolio."
That is Huffman's reading, and it should be weighed as such. The Post noted the administration has given no sign that it intends to sell the property. Neither report included a response from the administration to Huffman's claim that the seawall and the golf plan are linked.
The Courtroom and the Planning Board
The legislative push runs alongside a legal one. Just the News, citing The Hill and a Justice Department filing, reported that U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes granted a preliminary injunction Monday at the request of a conservationist group and local D.C. golfers who wanted tree-cutting at the park stopped. She ordered a new hearing, which the outlet said would be held Friday or Monday. Those court details have not been independently checked against the injunction or the filing, and it is not clear whether the order reaches beyond the trees.
Trump has called Reyes's rulings unconstitutional, according to Just the News. Hours after Monday's decision he wrote on social media, "We will immediately appeal this decision."
In its Wednesday night filing, the Justice Department confirmed the Nov. 15 closure date, Just the News reported, and said the Park Service would send the National Capital Planning Commission a rendering by golf architect Tom Fazio on Friday. The design calls for a championship-level course capable of hosting events like the U.S. Open. The commission is scheduled to consider the plan at its Dec. 3 meeting.
What Comes Next
Appropriators have not responded to Huffman, and a Republican or White House response was not seen in the coverage reviewed. The next markers are the court hearing, any appeal from the administration, the Nov. 15 closure and the planning commission's Dec. 3 meeting. The year-end spending bill is the vehicle for Huffman's language, and with him in the minority, its adoption is uncertain.
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