On July 4th, 2026 the USA is set to have a milestone birthday, its 250th. President Trump has even ordered “grand celebration” to mark the event, but DOGE cuts may have already ruined it. Veuer’s Tony Spitz has the details.
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00:00On July 4th, 2026, the USA is said to have a milestone birthday. It's 250th. President Trump
00:07has even ordered a grand celebration to mark the event, even initiating a federal task force to
00:11plan it. However, the president's administration and his newly anointed Department of Government
00:16Efficiency might have already gotten in the way of his own designs. These types of celebrations
00:21and patriotic events are coordinated by the National Endowment for Humanities, or NEH.
00:26And it just so happens that at the beginning of the month, some 80% of all NEH staff were placed
00:31on administrative leave by DOGE. In addition, dozens upon dozens of state and jurisdictional
00:36humanities council grants were terminated. In response, the NEH has launched applications
00:41for 250 challenge grants, each worth up to $25,000. They will be awarded to projects related to the
00:47founding of the American nation, key historical figures, and milestones that reflect the exceptional
00:52achievements of the United States. However, those in charge of these types of programming have
00:57already seen too many cuts and say the grants are simply not enough. In addition, states across
01:02the nation say the cuts not only affect this event, but their existence as organizations,
01:06with the White House yet to publicly address these concerns.