President Donald Trump announced in a 2023 campaign video that he would form a White House task force, called Salute to America 250, to coordinate a full year of nationwide 250th-anniversary events beginning Memorial Day 2025 and ending on July 4, 2026. Nearly all those proposals, including a massive fireworks display on the National Mall, have since been realized. This year’s Independence Day observance in Washington features a record-breaking fireworks show of at least 850,000 shells, a presidential speech, and tightened Secret Service security that restricts public access. House Natural Resources Committee Democrats released a report Thursday alleging Trump is using the celebration to fund personal projects and reward allies, citing contracts awarded to a firm run by his event planner and use of a campaign-owned data platform. The White House directed questions to Freedom 250, which called the report a partisan attack.