FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, January 15, 2026
Contact:
Tim Whitehouse, 240-247-0299, [email protected]
Katie Dixon Wohlgenant, [email protected]
PEER Demands Accounting from Interior Department Over “Freedom250” Use of Taxpayer Funds
Diversion of Funds Raises Serious Questions
Washington, DC — Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) today sent a letter to Department of the Interior (DOI) Secretary Doug Burgum demanding detailed disclosures regarding the creation, funding, and oversight of “Freedom250,” a separate entity that has reportedly received taxpayer funds appropriated by Congress for the America250 commemoration program.
Congress authorized and funded America250 as the official, bipartisan vehicle for commemorating the nation’s 250th anniversary. That authorization established specific structures, safeguards, and lines of accountability intended to ensure lawful use of public funds and meaningful congressional oversight.
PEER’s letter raises concerns that public money may have been redirected from America250 to Freedom250, an entity operating outside the framework Congress created. If confirmed, such a diversion would raise serious questions about compliance with appropriations law, transparency requirements, and DOI’s authority to redirect congressionally authorized funds.
In its letter, PEER calls on DOI to provide prompt, public answers to the following questions:
- How at least $100 million in taxpayer funds redirected to Freedom250 are being spent, including budgets, funded activities, contractors or grantees, and who holds decision-making authority;
- Whether Freedom250 is raising or accepting private funds in addition to public dollars, and if so, the sources and amounts of those funds, along with safeguards to prevent conflicts of interest or political influence; and
- What role, if any, the National Park Foundation is playing in supporting Freedom250, including whether Foundation funds, staff time, or in-kind resources are being used and whether those activities are consistent with its statutory mission.
“Congress created America250 to ensure that public funds for this commemoration are spent lawfully and subject to oversight,” said Tim Whitehouse, executive director of PEER. “Routing those funds through a separate entity without clear authorization or transparency undermines Congress’s intent and the public’s right to know how its money is being used.”
PEER warned that allowing a parallel entity to carry out work similar to America250 risks weakening statutory safeguards and obscuring responsibility for decisions involving substantial public expenditures.
“The Department of the Interior can address these concerns by producing a full accounting of Freedom250’s budget, disclosing all fundraising activity, and clearly explaining the legal basis for its involvement,” Whitehouse said. “Transparency and accountability are not optional when taxpayer funds are at issue — they are legal obligations.”
The letter was copied to members of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and the House Committee on Natural Resources.
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PEER protects public employees who protect our environment. We are a service organization for environmental and public health professionals, land managers, scientists, enforcement officers and other civil servants dedicated to upholding environmental laws and values. We work with current and former federal, state, local and tribal employees.
