1. United States
2. Mich.
3. Letter

Feed People, Not Egos: Defund the West Potomac Vanity Project I am a voting constituent writing to urge you to immediately block funding for the "National Garden of American Heroes" in West Potomac Park. A recent lawsuit filed by the National Parks Conservation Association and several preservation groups highlights that this project is not only legally non-compliant, but a complete misallocation of our resources. Congress explicitly mandated in 1897 and 2003 that West Potomac Park be preserved for public recreation, strictly prohibiting new commemorative works. Overriding these laws to spend $40 million on a collection of 250 massive statues is an irresponsible, destructive vanity project designed to reshape our nation’s capital into a personal sandbox. West Potomac Park is an irreplaceable civic space, not a "barren field" waiting to be paved over. More importantly, utilizing taxpayer dollars for a sculpture garden while millions of Americans face food insecurity is unacceptable. I urge you to respect the law, protect our public parks, and redirect these millions of dollars toward essential human services like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Let us invest in feeding vulnerable families rather than funding unnecessary monuments.