Watchdog sues Interior Department over Freedom 250 funding transparency

Published May 12, 2026 12:02pm ET | Updated May 12, 2026 12:02pm ET



A watchdog group on Monday filed a lawsuit against the Interior Department regarding its oversight of President Donald Trump’s initiative to celebrate the U.S.’s 250th birthday.

The Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, a left-leaning nonprofit group, had previously requested that the federal agency release records and details surrounding Freedom 250’s financial operations. PEER filed the lawsuit in the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., this week after stating that the Department of the Interior refused to hand over the documentation and failed to respond to multiple Freedom of Information Act requests it made in February.

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