{"id":25126,"date":"2026-07-29T11:55:06","date_gmt":"2026-07-29T15:55:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.merkley.senate.gov\/?p=25126"},"modified":"2026-07-29T11:55:53","modified_gmt":"2026-07-29T15:55:53","slug":"ranking-member-merkley-presses-secretary-burgum-on-misusing-national-park-service-funding-for-america-250","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.merkley.senate.gov\/es\/ranking-member-merkley-presses-secretary-burgum-on-misusing-national-park-service-funding-for-america-250\/","title":{"rendered":"El miembro de mayor rango, Merkley, presiona al secretario Burgum sobre el mal uso de los fondos del Servicio de Parques Nacionales para el 250 aniversario de Estados Unidos."},"content":{"rendered":"

Washington, D.C. \u2013 Today, Senate Interior-Environment Appropriations Subcommittee Ranking Member Jeff Merkley (D-OR)\u2014the lead Democrat overseeing funding for the U.S. Department of the Interior\u2014demanded Interior Secretary Doug Burgum provide urgent answers about the use of National Park Service (NPS) federal funds during America\u2019s 250th celebration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Merkley\u2019s inquiry follows the Trump Administration\u2019s Office of Management and Budget (OMB) sending Congress a list of provisions to include in a short-term government funding proposal, which contained a request to reimburse NPS for costs incurred during the Freedom 250 events on the National Mall this summer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cIncluded on the list was an unspecified amount of funding within a larger sum<\/strong> of $113 million \u2018to recoup costs associated with support of events celebrating America\u2019s Semiquincentennial.\u2019 <\/strong>Our understanding from the Administration was that taxpayer funds would contribute $150 million and private donations would contribute the balance of the funding,\u201d<\/strong> Ranking Member Merkley wrote in a letter to Secretary Burgum. \u201cGiven that understanding, what has gone wrong that has led to this additional request for taxpayer funds?\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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Merkley stressed, \u201cIt is unacceptable to ask the American people to bail out Freedom 250. Congress already appropriated $150 million\u2014without bipartisan input\u2014with the administration promising that private donors would help finance the rest. If the administration designated Freedom 250 as the responsible entity for these events, Freedom 250\u2014not taxpayers\u2014should be paying the remaining costs.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Previously, Merkley launched an investigation<\/a> into the Trump Administration\u2019s renovation of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool around America\u2019s 250th anniversary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Full text of the letter can be found by clicking aqu\u00ed<\/a> y sigue a continuaci\u00f3n:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dear Secretary Burgum:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On July 21calle<\/sup>, the Office of Management and Budget transmitted a list of provisions for Congress to consider for a short-term continuing resolution. Included on the list was an unspecified amount of funding within a larger sum of $113 million \u201cto recoup costs associated with support of events celebrating America\u2019s Semiquincentennial.\u201d Our understanding from the administration was that taxpayer funds would contribute $150 million and private donations would contribute the balance of the funding. Given that understanding, what has gone wrong that has led to this additional request for taxpayer funds?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a follow-up briefing, your staff relayed that the Department is seeking $10 million to reimburse National Park Service (NPS) costs incurred during the Freedom 250 events on the National Mall. These events are the Rededicate 250 prayer event, the Great American State Fair, and the July 4el<\/sup> Salute to America. According to your staff, these were routine costs for event support. The National Capital Area Event Planning Guide describes event support as including U.S. Park Police costs, event monitoring costs, overtime for NPS employees, and repairing resource damages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Congress has already provided substantial funding for these activities. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act, enacted into law with only Republican votes in July of 2025, provided $150 million to the Department of the Interior, through the National Park Service, for events and activities related to the semiquincentennial. The request for an anomaly indicates that all of this funding has already been obligated in support of a number of events related to the semiquincentennial, including those on the National Mall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The National Park Service reportedly provided much of this federal funding directly to the Freedom 250 organization, and Freedom 250 then combined this federal funding with private donations. The President solicited millions of dollars in private donations, and public reporting indicated that Freedom 250 had raised $22 million by April While Freedom 250 has not released a complete list of donors and amounts donated, despite calls from members of Congress and public watchdog organizations, Freedom 250\u2019s website features the logo of major corporations such as ExxonMobil, Chevron, Boeing, SAP, UnitedHealth Group, Mastercard, United Airlines, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Deloitte, Exiger, and Palantir.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is unacceptable to ask the American people to bail out Freedom 250. Congress already appropriated $150 million\u2014without bipartisan input\u2014with the administration promising that private donors would help finance the rest. If the administration designated Freedom 250 as the responsible entity for these events, Freedom 250\u2014not taxpayers\u2014should be paying the remaining costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Please respond to the following by close of business Friday August 7el<\/sup>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n