A conservation watchdog group asked a federal judge Sunday to block the Trump administration from going ahead with its reported plan to close the East Potomac golf course for renovations.
NOTUS reported Friday that landscaping, deferred maintenance and tree clearing of the course, located in Hains Point outside Washington, D.C., will begin on Monday. The course will undergo renovations at a later date, with architect Tom Fazio expected to lead the project.
The D.C. Preservation League and two residents originally filed a lawsuit against the administration in February. The group’s latest filing asks U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes, an appointee of former President Joe Biden, to stop the administration from dumping dirt, debris or trash on the court from the White House East Wing construction project and other steps to renovate it.
For months, construction crews have been dumping debris from the East Wing’s demolition onto East Potomac’s white field, while an orange pile sits in the middle of the field.
The Washington Post also reported Saturday that one of President Trump’s top fundraisers is seeking donations for a new nonprofit to fund renovations at East Potomac Stadium, with renderings showing a redesigned ballpark.
“Despite testimony to the court, the Trump-Vance administration appears to be aggressively closing Washington, D.C.’s largest public golf course to explore another of the president’s pet projects for its own benefit,” Democracy Forward President and CEO Skye Perryman said in a release Sunday.
Democracy Forward represents the plaintiffs in this case.
“We ask the court to act urgently to save this important part of our national park system from becoming another victim of reckless government,” Perryman added. “We are honored to work with the plaintiffs to fight back against this unlawful attack on our precious public spaces, and we are eager to defend this case.”
The filing marks the latest in a month-long ordeal after the administration in December terminated the lease the nonprofit National Links Trust (NLT) signed with the National Park Service in 2020 to operate the East Potomac, Langston golf courses and Rock Creek Park golf courses.
The nonprofit is just five years into its 50-year lease. The National Links Trust has been holding off on running the courses since the government terminated the agreement. Rock Creek has been undergoing renovations until the lease ends and opened on Friday.
On Saturday, the NLT issued a statement saying the NOTUS report “comes as a complete surprise”. While the outlet also reported that the government was offering NLT a lease extension for Rock Creek, the trust noted that it had not received such an offer and had “no indication as to what the future of Lansdowne would be”.
The Interior Department recently asked the NFL’s Washington Commanders Charitable Foundation to monitor Langston, WUSA9-TV in Washington reported. A commander’s spokesman confirmed the request to the station.
In the meantime, golfers can still reserve tee times for Monday and beyond at East Potomac, Lansdowne and Rock Creek.
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