The Trump administration has canceled lease agreements for three public golf courses in Washington claiming the nonprofit that running them is in violation of its lease terms and is failing to implement required capital improvements.

The National Links Trust is responding to the Interior Department’s termination of the 50-year lease, saying it is “devastated” by the move and it is “fundamentally in disagreement” with the administration’s assessment that it is in default of its lease agreement.

The trust took over stewardship of Rock Creek, East Potomac, and Langston courses from the federal government five years ago. Its mission is to lead the renovation of the courses while keeping them affordable for the public. Langston holds special significance for the black golf community as the first desegregated public courses. It is named in honor of abolitionist John Mercer Langston, who is remembered as the first elected black official in America.

The trust says it has “consistently complied with all lease obligations as we work to ensure the brightest possible future for public golf in DC.” It adds that it has invested more than $8.5 million in capital improvement projects at the courses so far.

“We feel like we’ve been good partners. We feel like we’ve been great stewards of these facilities, and would continue to be great stewards of the facilities if we were allowed,” the executive director of the National Links Trust, Damian Cosby, told WUSA-TV.

President Trump — who has developed many golf courses around the world — has reportedly shown interest in renovating the courses for some time.

The Trump administration started dumping demolition debris from the White House’s East Wing onto East Potomac in December. The administration forced the trust to accept the material under threat of lease violation, Golf Digest reported.

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum came up with the idea because the dirt could be used for fill to boost the course above the Potomac River flood plain, the Wall Street Journal reported.

“If we do them, we’ll do it really beautifully,” Mr. Trump told the outlet in mid-December.

Mr. Trump hopes to transform East Potomac into a course that can host professional tournaments — including a Ryder Cup — according to Golf Digest. The course sits on a narrow island with the Potomac River on one side and the Washington Channel on the other side. The course offers unique views of the river and most holes have views of the Washington Monument.

Renovations on the public golf courses would be another way for Mr. Trump to put his stamp on Washington. The Kennedy Center recently added the president’s name to the institution. Mr. Trump’s name was previously added to the United States Institute of Peace headquarters.

Mr. Trump also has plans for a new “Triumphal Arch” that would sit across from the Lincoln Memorial and be a gateway to Washington. Construction on the arch is expected to begin in a few months.

Congressional Democrats are complaining about the lease cancelations. “There’s a reason why we have a process for issuing leases for things like the National Links Trust,” Congressman Jared Huffman told the Washington Post.

“The idea that Trump would just swoop in and take these things over is very disruptive and obviously terrible policy in addition to what it says about his priorities.”

Senator Adam Schiff, a longtime vocal critic of the president, claims in an X post that Mr. Trump is “now looking to acquire and develop new government golf courses for the President and his friends to play on.”

The National Links Trust is staying in place for the time being so that the three courses can stay open but work on all long-term renovation projects has ceased. “After five years spent navigating the complex Federal permitting processes, this development is extremely disappointing for all who have supported the project,” the trust says.