Trump Given Post-Election Tax Subsidy for His D.C. Hotel

President-elect Donald Trump's company was reportedly given a tax subsidy worth $32 million for his D.C. hotel just six days after the election. “This is a classic or textbook example of a conflict of interest,” said Steven Schooner, a professor of government procurement law at George Washington University School of Law. “The decision-maker here, the National Park Service, works for the party that stands to benefit from a favorable decision.” The hotel was built in a taxpayer-owned historic landmark called the Old Post Office Building, which Trump leases from the federal government. In a sense, once he becomes president, Trump will be both landlord and tenant of the building—further underscoring concerns about potential conflicts-of-interest. On November 14, a week after the election, the National Park Service approved an amendment to Trump’s plans for the rehabilitation of the building, and BuzzFeed reports that Trump's company now has one more phase of work to do before it gets the tax credit worth 20 percent of the rehab project.