Trump once called Cafaro “a fantastic man” who made “a lot of money in Cleveland” at a 2016 campaign stop in the swing state, though the Ohio businessman has two prior finance-related convictions. In 2001, Cafaro pled guilty to bribing a former Democratic congressman, and in 2010, Cafaro admitted to illegally funneling $10,000 to his daughter’s congressional campaign.

The botched effort to beautify the Reflecting Pool is not the first dubious deal awarded under Trump involving influential Trumpworld actors and companies lacking a competitive edge.

Federal procurement rules generally require competitive bidding to ensure government contracts are awarded fairly, transparently, and to service providers best suited for the job at optimal value for American taxpayers.

But both the first and second Trump administrations have faced criticism over a series of questionable contracts and conflict-of-interest allegations surrounding past procurement awards.

AirBoss Defense Group’s $96 million no-bid respirator contract

In March 2020, the Federal Emergency Management Agency awarded a $96 million no-bid contract to the AirBoss Defense Group to produce 100,000 air-purifying respirators and filters for healthcare workers who were treating patients in New York during the COVID-19 pandemic. The transaction marked the federal government’s largest no-bid purchase at the time and constituted two-thirds of FEMA’s current spending on COVID response.

ProPublica later found that the Trump White House intervened in the procurement process, directing FEMA to place the emergency supply order with AirBoss, a major military defense contractor, despite other medical vendors manufacturing similar protective equipment. When questioned about the award, FEMA said the company’s “unsolicited” offer was submitted by a White House task force assisting with sourcing such COVID-19 supplies, and in the contract database, a contract officer wrote that the White House “ordered” the arrangement.

Subsequent congressional investigations discovered communications between White House trade adviser Peter Navarro and retired Army Gen. Jack Keane, a paid consultant for AirBoss who received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Trump days earlier.

According to their email exchanges, Keane contacted Navarro on behalf of AirBoss and sent him a catalog of products the company could supply. “On it,” Navarro replied and coordinated a phone call between AirBoss and the White House Coronavirus Task Force.

The correspondence indicated that the Trump administration bypassed typical procurement review procedures and raised concerns about Trump-linked intermediaries helping certain firms receive preferential treatment.

Salus Worldwide Solutions’s $1 billion ‘fast-tracked’ DHS contract

Last year, the second Trump administration awarded Salus Worldwide Solutions a roughly $1 billion Department of Homeland Security contract to help carry out Project Homecoming, a voluntary departure program for self-deporting illegal immigrants that offers free one-way flights out of the country.

DHS is accused of expediting the flight deal and rushing to select Salus, a company incorporated in 2023 with relatively scant federal contracting experience, from a small invitation-only pool of “hand-picked” vendors.

An August lawsuit from a competing longtime federal contractor challenged the award, alleging DHS shared insider information, including program specifications, with Salus during the proposal process.

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION EXPANDS FINANCE-FOCUSED APPROACH TO SWAY ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS TO SELF-DEPORT

Salus CEO William Walters was a celebrated donor to the Trump-aligned America First Policy Institute, where a Trump-appointed DHS official who reportedly presided over the selection process previously worked. In November 2024, a few weeks following Trump’s election win, the pro-Trump nonprofit group gave Walters an “AFPI Patriot Award” at its annual gala event held at Trump’s private Mar-a-Lago club.

After agency lawyers launched an investigation into the leak of nonpublic information to Salus leadership, DHS allegedly switched from seeking a noncompetitive aviation contract for the self-deportation program to conducting a three-day competition among a preselected field of applicants. “We are NOT pursuing the ‘intent to sole source’ this contracting activity,” an internal email obtained by the Washington Post said.

The department emails stated that DHS undersecretary for policy, Rob Law, a Trump appointee and formerly the director of AFPI’s Center for Homeland Security and Immigration, spearheaded “this effort for the front office.” DHS, however, denied Law’s involvement in the contest and insisted nonpartisan career procurement officials oversee “all aspects” of contracting decisions in accordance with federal acquisition regulations.

Barnard Construction Company’s multibillion-dollar contracts to build Trump’s border wall

Billions of dollars in border wall contracts are reportedly going to a Montana firm run by a deep-pocketed Trump donor.

According to a High Country News analysis of federal spending data, Barnard Construction Company and its affiliates have been awarded more than $7 billion in construction contracts over the years to build Trump’s border wall.

Federal Election Commission filings show that company Chairman Tim Barnard and his wife have contributed hefty sums to Republican candidates and committees, including more than $1 million to Trump’s presidential campaigns. The Barnards have also donated considerable amounts to several members of Trump’s Cabinet, such as Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

A competitor sued the Trump administration after Customs and Border Protection allegedly promised the bulk of new Texas and New Mexico border wall construction contracts to Barnard and one other company.

GOP SENATORS SNAP AT STEPHEN MILLER OVER TRUMP BORDER WALL FUNDING

At least one CBP contract was awarded to Barnard without competitive bidding. In April, Barnard received a $1.6 billion no-bid contract to build 112.5 miles of “secondary wall” in New Mexico. The contract database cited “urgency” as the reason for the lack of full and open competition.

Barnard’s latest federally contracted construction project is focused on a part of the southern border that sees some of the fewest illegal crossings. The federal government has hired Barnard to construct over 100 miles of 30-foot steel wall through the remote Big Bend region. Though the largest Border Patrol sector along the Texas border with Mexico, it is also a desolate area due to its harsh terrain. CBP has recorded only 1.6% of all apprehensions there so far in fiscal 2026.