Tired of watching the area around the Vietnam Veterans Memorial dilapidate, the group that established the monument intends to spend nearly $100,000 of its own money to improve landscaping that Congress has refused to fund. Officials with the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund plan to work with the National Park Service on upgrading 13.5 acres of grass blighted by weeds, moss and brown spots that surround the Vietnam memorial. The Associated Press reported in July that lawmakers have failed to approve funding for improvements to the National Mall since 2005, including rejecting $200 million in stimulus funds in January.