A watchdog group is demanding answers from the Trump administration about the dueling organizations planning America’s 250th birthday celebration, citing reporting from Semafor’s Ben Smith about a cooling power struggle between two groups involved.
Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, a nonprofit watchdog group that represents whistleblowers, sent a letter to the Interior Department demanding details about the funding for America 250, an entity established by Congress to prepare for the festivities, and Freedom 250, the parallel group created by Trump.
“The creation of a parallel entity to carry out work similar to America250 is blurring accountability, weakening congressional intent, and undermining public trust,” PEER’s executive director, Timothy Whitehouse, wrote in the letter, which was shared first with Semafor.
It particularly raises concerns about Semafor’s reporting that $100 million of the money allocated by Congress for celebrating the 250th anniversary was diverted to Freedom250.
The letter also asks for clarification as to the relationship between the National Park Foundation and Freedom 250, which is listed as a subsidiary of the foundation.
In a statement, an Interior Department spokesperson defended the arrangement, saying the National Park Service entered into an agreement with the National Park Foundation to provide funding for the “primary event contractor (in this case Freedom 250) to oversee, plan, organize and execute the majority of the events celebrating America’s 250th anniversary, celebrations and/or activities” and to “invest NPF’s funds and generate additional funding in support of NPS’s 250th anniversary funded purposes.”