US Interior Department requests $10 million for Freedom 250 National Mall events

The U.S. Department of the Interior has asked Congress for an additional $10 million to cover security‑related costs incurred by the National Park Service during three Freedom 250 events held on the National Mall: a prayer gathering, the Great American State Fair and a July 4 fireworks salute. Senior Democrat Senator Jeff Merkley, who chairs the Senate Appropriations subcommittee overseeing Interior funding, said the request should be accompanied by a detailed accounting by Aug. 7 and argued that private donors, not taxpayers, were expected to bear the expenses.

Freedom 250, a public‑private partnership created by the Trump administration to mark the nation’s 250th anniversary, has taken on a larger role than the bipartisan America250 commission. The Interior Department cited heightened security threats as justification for the extra funding, which would reimburse the National Park Service for costs already incurred. The request follows an earlier $150 million allocation for semiquincentennial events authorized through the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.