1. United States
2. Ohio
3. Letter

As your constituent, I am writing to demand immediate accountability for the $103 million in taxpayer funds diverted to "Freedom 250." This project is a textbook example of government waste and insider self-dealing, serving to elevate a personal political brand rather than honor our nation’s history.  Congress established the bipartisan America 250 commission in 2016 to plan our semiquincentennial with transparency and fiscal rigor. Instead of supporting this congressionally authorized body, the administration bypassed Congress to route funds into "Freedom 250"—an opaque, private entity structured specifically to evade federal contracting requirements and public oversight.  This parallel organization is operating as a partisan slush fund, failing on three fronts: - Fiscal Mismanagement: Nearly $103 million has been handed to Freedom 250 through non-competitive, no-bid contracts, while the official, bipartisan commission faces massive, artificial funding shortfalls.  - Total Lack of Transparency: Freedom 250 is shielding itself from oversight. It allows anonymous donors and corporations with business before the administration to buy direct access to the President, while the Interior Department refuses to release basic financial records, triggering federal lawsuits. - Catastrophic Performance Failure: The "Great American State Fair" has devolved into a showcase of dysfunction—marked by mass artist pullouts, empty pavilions, and a centerpiece "triumphal arch" that is literally failing to stand up. Taxpayer money is funding campaign-style spectacles rather than a unifying national commemoration.  This is a betrayal of the public trust. Whether you are a fiscal conservative outraged by the abuse of appropriated funds, a progressive fighting corporate dark money, or an independent tired of backroom deals, this project is indefensible. I urge you to take three immediate actions: 1. Investigate & Audit: Use your oversight authority to subpoena the financial records and contract disclosures of Freedom 250. We need a full audit of every dollar diverted from the official commission. Restore Fiscal Integrity: Support emergency supplemental funding to ensure the original, nonpartisan America 250 mandate can be fulfilled properly. 3. Mandate Transparency: Propose legislation requiring that any private entity spending federal dollars on national commemorative events must adhere to the exact same public disclosure, competitive bidding, and oversight standards as an official federal commission. Our nation’s birthday should not be a pay-to-play vehicle for political operatives. Please act to stop this drain on public resources and restore the integrity of our 250th anniversary. I look forward to your response on how you plan to address this waste.