Donald Trump\u2019s administration is asking Congress for millions of dollars in public funds to cover costs stemming from the president\u2019s Freedom 250 events <\/a>on the National Mall this summer, including a Christian-focused prayer event, a fireworks show that started late and a sparsely attended state fair<\/a>.<\/p>\n Last week, the administration asked for an unspecified amount of funding \u201cto recoup costs associated with support of events celebrating America\u2019s Semiquincentennial,\u201d according to Sen. Jeff Merkley, the top Democrat on the Senate Appropriations subcommittee that oversees funding for the National Mall.<\/p>\n That request prompted Merkley to ask what, exactly, the administration needed the money for.<\/p>\n A follow-up notice said the Department of Interior is seeking $10 million to reimburse the National Park Service for costs associated with the Rededicate 250 prayer event<\/a>, the Great American State Fair, and the Salute to America fireworks show on the Fourth of July.<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cIt is unacceptable to ask the American people to bail out Freedom 250,\u201d Merkley wrote<\/a> to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum on Wednesday.<\/p>\n \u201cCongress already appropriated $150 million\u2014 without bipartisan input \u2014 with the administration promising that private donors would help finance the rest,\u201d he wrote. \u201cIf the administration designated Freedom 250 as the responsible entity for these events, Freedom 250 \u2014 not taxpayers \u2014 should be paying the remaining costs.\u201d<\/p>\n A spokesperson for the Department of Interior told The Independent that the additional funding would help pay for an \u201celevated security posture\u201d in the capital after April\u2019s attack at the White House Correspondents Association dinner<\/a> and an attempted terror attack<\/a> at the UFC match on the White House lawn, as well as \u201ccountless vandalism incidents<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThis funding would help address the expenditures associated with the elevated security posture,\u201d the spokesperson said.<\/p>\n Last year\u2019s One Big Beautiful Bill Act set aside $150 million for events related to the nation\u2019s 250th anniversary, though a bulk of that funding was redirected to the competing White House-led, public-private Freedom 250 project<\/a>, which also solicited money from private donors and received financial support from major corporations.<\/p>\n Merkley is now asking Burgum to provide his office with a list of donors, including \u201cany withdrawn or canceled donations,\u201d and for a \u201cfull accounting\u201d for how the National Park Service spent the money.<\/p>\n Freedom 250 was already facing scrutiny from watchdog groups and members of Congress<\/a> over the use of federal dollars for Trump-aligned events during the president\u2019s chaotic preparations for the nation\u2019s anniversary celebrations.<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/2026-07-05T051303Z_249356166_RC2H7MANVLTY_RTRMADP_3_USA-250-TRUMP.JPG\")
The Trump administration is asking for another $10 million from Congress to cover costs stemming from a mostly Christian prayer event, the Great American State Fair and a fireworks show on the Fourth of July in connection with the White House-backed Freedom 250 project (Reuters)<\/p>\n![\"Many](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/2284523000...jpeg\")
Many of the events of Trump 250 – including his \u2018state fair\u2019 on the National Mall – were met with criticism (Getty)<\/p>\n