Plans for America's 250th hit a snag

 Axios -   DOGE's cost-cutting may get in the way of the "grand celebration" President Trump has ordered for July 4, 2026 — America's 250th birthday.

• State humanities councils planning 250th anniversary celebrations all over the country have had their funding slashed.
• And some of those organizations told Axios' Avery Lotz they likely won't be able to execute their big, patriotic plans.

Trump has called for an "extraordinary celebration" next summer, and signed an executive order in his first few days in office creating a federal task force to plan it.

• The chair of the National Endowment for the Humanities is part of that task force, and state humanities councils across the country had a leading role in planning public events to mark the occasion.  But 80% of the NEH's staff was placed on administrative leave this month. State and jurisdictional humanities councils were alerted that their funding grants were being terminated.  Mor