Fighting for the Next 250 Years

This Fourth of July, we put together a special issue all about our country’s 250th birthday. We’ll talk about the celebrations, reflect on our founding ideals, and look at some of the battles we are facing to keep our democracy alive.

What’s the difference between Freedom 250 and America250? 

The celebrations are in full swing, and they’re being planned by two different groups: America250 and Freedom 250.

Though the names are similar, the groups are extremely different: America250 is a bipartisan organization that is subject to congressional oversight, while Freedom 250 is a project of the Trump administration that uses both taxpayer money and private donations. It’s difficult to access information about Freedom 250’s funding, spending, and actions, but Trump appears to be using the event to sell access to himself.

We’ve been using public records requests to investigate what is going on behind the scenes. We filed Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests for communications, internal guidance, and donor information that could show what groups and individuals are donating to Freedom 250, how much taxpayer money it is spending, and what those funds are going toward.

How we’re fighting for democracy on America’s 250th birthday

Just after the Declaration of Independence’s most famous line — “we hold these truths to be self-evident” — is a note about how governments are supposed to work. “Governments … deriv[e] their just powers from the consent of the governed,” it says. “Whenever any form of Government becomes destructive … It is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it.”

In other words, the federal government only has power because its citizens give it power. If the government does not work in the people’s interest, they have the right — the responsibility — to challenge it. And right now, the Trump administration is not acting in most Americans’ interests.

We lay out some of the ways we are pushing back against damaging policies, including fighting for access to presidential records, ensuring Americans can disagree with the president without facing retribution, and combating government overreach.

Trump is trying to make it harder for many Americans to vote. We’re fighting back.

The right to vote is foundational to a democracy, but Trump and his allies have been trying to make it harder for some Americans to vote. Between 2021 and 2025, at least 30 states enacted more than 100 restrictive voting laws. Meanwhile, the federal government has pushed for more access to voter rolls, and President Trump has advocated for restrictions on voting and threatened to deploy ICE to polling stations.

We’re using public records requests and litigation to fight back against efforts to undermine free and fair elections. We’ve filed dozens of FOIA and other public records requests for information about these voter suppression tactics. And when the government has failed to properly respond to our requests, we’ve sued.

On the records

How is federal law enforcement preparing for America’s 250?

The Trump administration’s preparations for this week’s Freedom 250 celebrations — including events centered around the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool — included deputizing state and local law enforcement officers to provide security for the events. However, the government has released very little additional information.

We launched an investigation to find out more. We filed FOIA requests for all final orders, directives, guidance, protocols, and policies provided to deputized officers for Freedom 250 events. We also requested records identifying participating state and local law enforcement agencies and any officers who were granted federal authority.

“The nation’s 250th anniversary is a time to reflect on the constitutional freedoms that define our democracy, including the rights to speak, assemble, and peacefully protest,” our Executive Director Chioma Chukwu said. “As Americans gather across Washington to mark this historic occasion, the public deserves confidence that extraordinary law enforcement powers are being exercised responsibly and with appropriate oversight rather than being abused to target dissenters.”

American Oversight in the news

• Judge considers ordering Blanche cover up docs before confirmation hearing (Legal AF)

Other stories we’re following

• Johnson announces gambit to attach SAVE America Act to must-pass defense bill (The Hill)
• Supreme Court upholds birthright citizenship, rejecting Trump’s proposed limits (Associated Press)
• Supreme Court upholds state laws banning transgender girls and women from school athletic teams (Associated Press)
• Trump says he is nominating former Oklahoma state trooper Lance Schroyer as ICE director (Los Angeles Times)
• Todd Blanche ‘conceded’ violating law on Epstein files, judge finds (Politico)