Washington, DC — Donald Trump’s scandal-plagued “Great American State Fair” and other United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) supported events celebrating America’s 250th anniversary may be inappropriately using government employees and resources for partisan events and evading ethics restrictions, according to an Inspector General (IG) complaint filed today by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER).

Public documents, responses to congressional inquiry, and correspondence obtained by PEER under the Freedom of Information Act indicate that –

• USDA appears to have used government personnel and resources to plan and promote Freedom 250 programming and fundraising

• The National Forest Foundation (NFF), the official non-profit partner of the National Forest Service, was used to accept and distribute funds for USDA events, potentially circumventing ethical restrictions on government employees accepting gifts; and

• Multimillion-dollar USDA contractors have been solicited for contributions.

That is why PEER is asking the IG to investigate whether:

• USDA inappropriately solicited gifts from private companies to fund the Great American Farmers Market in 2025, as well as upcoming events like the Great American State Fair;

• The NFF is being used to circumvent restrictions on accepting gifts and funding;

• USDA personnel and resources are being misused to support Freedom 250, a partisan private entity established by the Trump administration;

• The Freedom 250 activities and marketing supported by USDA and the NFF are consistent with Freedom 250’s stated charitable purpose and the IRS code;

• USDA’s promotion and purchase of Freedom 250 branded merchandise is a corrupt pocket-lining exercise for administration allies; and

• USDA is inappropriately using Special Government Employees and/or granting non-personnel access to government email domains.

Running from June 25 through July 10, the Great American State Fair is billed as “a national exposition” on a World’s Fair scale to celebrate the 250th anniversary of America’s founding. Almost every invited performer has dropped out of the fair, claiming to be misled about the nature of the event, specifically that it is sponsored by Freedom 250 instead of the bipartisan, congressionally appropriated initiative America250.

“There appears to have been blatant misuse of public resources for a private, partisan events,” stated PEER Executive Director Tim Whitehouse in relation to USDA’s management and support of celebrations around America’s 250th anniversary celebrations. “Corporate contributors may also have been misled in the same way the performers were.”

PEER is also asking the Inspector General to investigate the financing of last year’s Great American Farmer’s Market. In response to congressional inquiry, the NFF confirmed it accepted sponsorships from Tractor Supply Co., Chobani, John Deere, and Visa, in return for contributions of at least $250,000 each to the “USDA Secretary’s Priorities” fund housed at NFF. These funds have no apparent connection to the mission of the NFF. PEER is concerned that USDA may be using the Foundation to funnel funding for other 250th anniversary events, like the Great American State Fair.

“The National Forest Foundation should not be accepting and spending money for purposes which have nothing to do with its mission,” Whitehouse added. “America’s 250th birthday should be a unifying event, not partisan theater.”

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Read PEER’s complaint to USDA’s Office of Inspector General 

Revisit PEER’s lawsuit for Freedom 250 records from the Department of the Interior

Visit USDA’s website promoting Freedom 250

PEER protects public employees who protect our environment, natural resources, and public health. We support current and former environmental and public health professionals, land managers, scientists, enforcement officers, and other civil servants dedicated to upholding environmental laws and values across federal, state, local, and tribal governments.