A bitter MAGA civil war has broken out over roughly $100 million in taxpayer dollars steered away from the bipartisan group Congress created to mark America’s 250th birthday, The Daily Beast reported Tuesday in its “The Swamp” newsletter.
The feud pits the congressionally chartered America250 against Freedom 250, the rival outfit President Donald Trump launched in December after souring on the bipartisan commission’s inclusive approach. America250 was established by Congress in 2016 to plan the nation’s semiquincentennial celebrations, with former Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama and their spouses serving as honorary co-chairs. A bipartisan Congressional Caucus of more than 350 members backs the effort.
Nonprofit news outlet NOTUS documented the gap: America250 disclosed a $100 million “funding shortfall” to Congress and had received only $25 million of the $100 million it expected from the administration as of April. Meanwhile, the Interior Department funneled nearly $80 million to the National Park Foundation, the legal home of Freedom 250.
Trump’s MAGA-flavored alternative features planned events including UFC at the White House, the Great American State Fair, and “Patriot Games.” That concert series collapsed last week after Bret Michaels, Martina McBride and the Commodores withdrew, saying they’d been misled about the event’s political nature. Trump then demanded it be scrapped for an “AMERICA IS BACK” rally.
At Freedom 250’s center sits ex-Trump State Department official Keith Krach, the ex-DocuSign CEO Trump tapped to run it. Democratic senators led by Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA) have questioned whether Freedom 250 is commingling federal money with private donations, potentially including foreign funds.
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