On February 13, 2026, a nonprofit and two Washington residents filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Their goal was to stop the Trump administration from overhauling East Potomac Golf Course, a public course that has served D.C. since 1921. The plaintiffs, DC Preservation League, Dave Roberts, and Alex Dickson, named the U.S. Department of the Interior and the National Park Service as defendants.

Their case relies on a 1897 congressional act that set aside East Potomac Park for the recreation and pleasure of the people. The word “forever” is now at the center of the legal fight. The lawsuit claims the Trump administration’s plan breaks the 1897 law and federal environmental rules.

East Potomac Park is on the National Register of Historic Places. The plaintiffs say the overhaul would pollute protected land and ignore what Congress intended. They argue that no executive action was meant to override that.

The administration, through the Interior Department, says it will not comment on pending litigation. At the same time, it promises to keep the courses safe, open, affordable, and accessible for everyone in Washington. That promise now clashes with what the lawsuit claims the overhaul would actually do. This lawsuit did not come out of nowhere. It follows a series of federal moves that accelerated in late 2025.

In December, the Trump administration ended the 50-year lease given in 2020 to the National Links Trust, a nonprofit set up to protect D.C.’s public golf courses, covering East Potomac, Langston, and Rock Creek Park Golf. The Interior Department said NLT failed to invest in the properties and did not pay rent. NLT denied both claims.

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NLT pointed out that the default notice from October 29, 2025, did not list any specific violations or offer a way to fix the situation. Democratic lawmakers also said this broke the National Park Service’s own lease rules.

The administration’s plans are now clear. Trump, with designer Tom Fazio, wants to build a course with tournament-level features, including lakes, mounds, and a layout suitable for professional play. Trump has reportedly told PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan he wants to bring a Tour event to Washington. Dirt from the White House East Wing renovation is already being delivered to East Potomac.

What that means for the course’s public identity is the contested ground.

East Potomac Golf Course: National Links Trust dispute and what the federal takeover means for public golf

East Potomac has charged $25 to $40 for 18 holes. Golf analysts who looked at the lease termination said the National Links Trust aimed to keep golf accessible and affordable for D.C. residents, especially kids and new players. Now, those groups are likely shut out, according to earlier reports.

The 1897 act has never been used in a federal lawsuit like this in D.C. There is no direct legal precedent. The plaintiffs want to see if a law from the nineteenth century can stop executive action in the twenty-first. No ruling yet. No word from Congress as of February 15, 2026. The court has a question. The 1897 Act has the language. Now, it is up to the U.S. District Court to decide if “forever” means what Congress intended.

NLT managed East Potomac, Langston, and Rock Creek for five years under a 50-year lease. The idea was to give the nonprofit time and stability to renovate the courses. NLT formally disputed the Interior Department’s claims, saying it had always met its lease obligations since 2020.

Now that the federal government is in charge, the future of East Potomac is unclear. The administration says the course will stay accessible, but it has not shared any details about pricing or community programs to replace what NLT built. The lease dispute sits at the center of that question, and for the community that relied on these courses, the outcome is anything but abstract.