1. United States
  2. Ohio
  3. Letter

Our 250th Birthday is for ALL Americans

To: Sen. Moreno, Rep. Beatty, Sen. Husted

From: A verified voter in Columbus, OH

June 16

I am writing to urge you to publicly stand up for civic unity and enforce strict legal accountability regarding the upcoming July 4th semiquincentennial celebrations on the National Mall. The 250th anniversary of the United States belongs equally to every American citizen. It is a monumental milestone meant to reflect our shared 250-year journey, honor our Constitution, and bring a divided nation together. Converting this shared national celebration into a partisan, campaign-style event fundamentally undermines the purpose of an Independence Day holiday and alienates the broad majority of the American public. While Congress does not hold direct administrative control over National Park Service permitting, you do hold the power of moral leadership, legislative oversight, and the federal purse strings. We must not stay silent while shared civic landmarks and national holidays are repurposed for selective political branding. Therefore, I demand that you take the following immediate actions: 1. Issue a Bipartisan Call for Civic Unity: Introduce and support a joint resolution formally requesting that the administration honor historical precedent and strip all personal campaign branding, partisan playlists, and campaign rhetoric from our nation's 250th birthday celebration. Put every lawmaker on the record regarding whether they value national unity over party loyalty. 2. Enforce Strict Cost-Accounting: Use your legislative authority to ensure federal ethics lawyers aggressively track every single dollar spent on this event. Any campaign-specific branding, partisan staging, or selective promotional activity must be fully and transparently reimbursed to the U.S. Treasury by non-governmental political entities. 3. Protect Non-Partisan Federal Staff and Resources: Ensure that no taxpayer funds appropriated to the National Park Service, the Department of the Interior, or the Department of Defense are weaponized to facilitate partisan logistics, and ensure career civil servants are protected from being pressured into assisting with a political spectacle. Our national heritage is public property, not a backdrop for a political brand. Please fulfill your duty to the American people by demanding that our nation's 250th birthday remains an occasion dedicated entirely to the country as a whole.

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