America's 250th Birthday: Controversy Surrounding the Dueling Groups Planning Celebrations

0:00Hello again from Newsweek headquarters at the top of the World Trade Center in New York City. This is the 1600 and I'm Carlo Versano. Back with you guys in New York after a eventful weekend in Washington at the White House Correspondents' Dinner. This country was my one memento from from that dinner I'm wearing now, which is my America 250 pin, which is the topic of our of our show today. Believe it or not, America and Americans, we have a big reason to celebrate this year coming up our birthday, a big one to the 250. It's a summer of celebration from sea to shining sea about what makes this country great.

0:36coming, of course, in the midst of a political moment that may not always feel so celebratory. But I think it's important to remember that we do have this big birthday, and there's a lot of great programming coming up. There's two organizations in charge of the big 250th events this summer. There's America 250, which is the official national nonpartisan organization charged and created by Congress to lead the commemoration of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, which is really what this is all about. You know this one. And you've seen their branding all over the place. It's the really cool, right here, 250 with the sort of swoopy logo.

1:11And then there's Freedom 250, which is a different group. This is the Trump-aligned group that was formed late last year. Both of these organizations in somewhat of a tiff over federal funding in the direction of some of the more prominent events. So, you know, like everything in contemporary America, not even our birthday celebration is always immune from partisan politics. But the celebration will go on. and the woman who is making it go on is with me today, Rosie Rios, who is the chair of America 250, the bipartisan organization I just mentioned at the top. Ms. Rios, thank you so much for joining us.

1:42Thanks for having me. Great to be here. So I want to talk about sort of your story a little bit. Your signature is on probably some of the currency in your wallet right now, if you're listening to this. You were the 43rd treasurer of the United States under President Obama from 2009 to 2016. So you oversaw the Bureau of Engraving and Printing and the U.S. Mint. You also initiated the effort to get a woman's portrait on U.S. currency for the first time in a century. Amazing work. So let me put it this way. You spent eight years literally printing American money, and now you're managing America's biggest birthday party.

2:16So which is a cooler job? Oh, my goodness. You know, if you'd have asked me 18 years ago when I first joined the Treasury Federal Reserve Transition Team at the height of the financial crisis under Secretary Paulson and President Bush, that I would be doing what I'm doing today, I would have said absolutely not. No way. But I would do it all over again. This is an honor. It's an absolute privilege to serve my country in this way. Five administrations later, by the way, I would do it all over again. You've been around and you've got a great sort of personal story, which I want to get to in a minute.

2:46But first, let's talk about a little bit of some of the stuff that's actually planned this summer. So the big thing, the flagship event is, I believe we're calling it America's Block Party on July 3rd and 4th, which is being billed as the largest synchronized 4th of July celebration in our history. It includes a Times Square ball drop, which I believe is the first time that's ever happened outside of New Year's Eve, which is cool. There's also a Day of Reflection on July 5th and America's Potluck, which is a call to share a meal, which I really like. Can you just talk a little bit about the programming?

3:16Absolutely. So there's a lot of moments, that I will call them, that are coming up, which is different from the movement, which is our programming that we've been working on for years now. Look, this is my eighth year on this commission, almost four years as chair. So we've been hitting the ground running for a while now. And that branding with our logo didn't happen overnight. Obviously, that's a lot of relationships that we've cultivated over the years. But I would say for the moments, that is absolutely what people are thinking about. That is the big pomp and circumstance, the fireworks, the music, and everything that you've mentioned, and then some.

3:46So yes, we are kicking off that particular weekend in Times Square. You might heard our announcement when I was back in Times Square on December 31st, bringing in 2026. We're not doing a ball drop. We're doing eight. There's no ball drop. Eight. Oh, OK. There's the punchline. The eight ball drops represent the eight time zones of our country. And people don't realize that they're actually eight eight time zones. So starting 10 a.m. on July 3rd, which is Guam's midnight ringing in July 4th is when we'll start the first ball drop ending 21 hours later with the last ball drop, the eighth one, with American Samoa.

4:24So look, we got to reach 350 million Americans. We're well on our way. And the only way to do that is against sea to shining sea, casting a broad net of participation. And by reminding everyone that we are global. We are one of the few countries in the world that have almost every other country represented in it. So while we are not the world, the world is us. And to have those eight time zones reflected all the way from Guam to Hawaii, Alaska, everything in between is exactly how we want to kind of kick off that weekend. Hey, everybody. We're just going to take a quick ad break. We'll be right back.

5:01The next day, July 4th, yes, that is the start of America's block party, which is absolutely for the very first time ever in our country, which is pretty much for everything we're doing, is this kind of connected celebrations all over the country. We're anchoring this in L.A. against Sea to Shining Sea. That is also kind of the bridge to the Olympics, if you will, for the between the 50th and L.A. 28 at the L.A. Coliseum. that is going to be, again, exactly what people are expecting and much, much more. But we're also partnering with very large activities going all around the country, including, for example, Summerfest in Milwaukee, which is the world's largest music festival.

5:38That is kind of the Wisconsin America 250 block party, along with many others that we've already announced, and many, many more to come. We're very excited about that. And yes, the next day after that is America's Day of Reflection. It's whatever people want to think it is as it works for them. So for some people, it's a Sunday. It's a day of prayer. For others, for example, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a great partner of ours, is doing a day of fast on that Sunday, July 5th, where all proceeds saved will go to local food banks. What a great idea. And yes, there are many states that are looking at forming this kind of potluck on Sunday, July 5th to kind of feel that connection all over again.

6:18For us as a commission, it's a pivot to the Constitution. So people don't realize that it took 12 years to get from the Declaration of Independence to the ratification of the Constitution. So that journey really begins what I call after the fireworks. The Supreme Court is part of our commission, all three branches of government, including the executive branch. And, of course, we're a congressional commission and the legislative branch are all part of our commission. And so that journey to Constitution Day in September and, of course, what we're doing all the way throughout this calendar year is what people need to remember.

6:47This is a journey, and we're thrilled to take the lead. And we've also got the World Cup this summer, so it's going to be a crazy summer out there, folks. Lots to do, lots of events. One of these events I actually wanted to ask you about, I wasn't familiar with this, so I just wanted to see if you could tell me more. It's called America's Field Trip, and it's a student contest for grades 3 to 12, asking what America means to them. And I believe my understanding is the winners are going to receive trips to sort of some iconic American places like the Nicey or Yellowstone. Have you read any of these submissions?

7:20And if so, could you just talk a little bit about how young people today are seeing America through their eyes? Yeah, absolutely. You know, that was our first national signature program that we launched. This is our third round that we just closed out and we did as a pilot in March of 2024. for. It's the first program that I proposed to our commission when I first became chair. My first meeting is chair in September of 2022. And this was an idea that I had in terms of kind of a win-win to engage this next generation of leadership, but also showcase the national treasures of our country. And as you know, our commission, this 24-member commission, all appointed by the House and Senate majority and minority leaders, 16 private citizens, eight standing members of Congress also includes our ex-officio members identified in our legislation.

8:05So that includes the Department of the Interior, Department of State, Department of Defense, et cetera. And so when I proposed this program, again, as kind of this win-win partnership between the commission and the administration, there was a lot of hesitation in that room because it's a grand idea and you're asking for kind of these privileges of doing these state experiences that have never been offered before. And so the response at that meeting was really interesting. It was a lot of people saying, wait a minute, first of all, you're going to have liability issues, accessibility issues, bureaucratic issues.

8:36You'll never get this done in time. Like, you know, nice idea, but good luck to you. It was the National Park Service, Tom Medema, who literally raised his hand at that meeting and said, wait a minute, this is amazing. I see the win-win. This is a great way to kind of, you know, have our country, we discover our national parks all over again. And from there, it really dominoed for, I mean, it was really great. You always need that one, that one leader in the room. And that was definitely him. And that, you know, the Smithsonian, the National Archives, the Library of Congress, they all jumped in.

9:03And it was great. And it's exactly what it should be. So it is a national competition, grades three through 12, as you mentioned, who get to answer the question, what does America mean to me, either in an essay, a poem, a piece of art. And they get to, the winners get to choose from these backstage experiences never offered before. So for example, and I've read many of the submissions. It's absolutely amazing. I'll get to that in a second. But out of the mouths of babes, to really understand what this great country means to this next generation, that really guided this commission in terms of how to think about our programming.

9:35There's these three words, educate, engage, and unite. And I think America's Field Trip really represents all three of those words perfectly. But that very first summer, which is two summers ago, I had a chance to participate in many of the field trips, as I do every year. And, for example, it wasn't just a tour of the Statue of Liberty in New York. We got to take a private national park service boat from Manhattan Island to Liberty Island. We got up to the Crown, which normally doesn't happen. Oh, wow. They don't let you up there anymore. That's cool. Exactly. We got to walk the hallowed halls of Ellis Island when no one else was there.

10:10We were hosted for lunch by the CEO of BNY, Robin Vince. We got to see the markets room, the trading floor, the Cybersecurity Command Center. We ended the day at the New York Federal Reserve getting an overview of monetary policy and then getting into the vault, into deep storage. You know, for many of these kids, first time on a plane, first time on a family vacation, first time out of their state, I had this one young girl come up to me and she said, I feel like I won the golden ticket, but this is better than Willy Wonka. What you're going to think about our programming, it's very connective, it's very interactive, it's very physical.

10:40You know, for these kids, it was probably the first time they ever even thought about their future, maybe even felt their future. What is cyber? What is the Federal Reserve? What's a park ranger do? What is BNY? So for all those great reasons, it's one of many of our programs that has really worked so well. And let me get to those submissions, which they're heartbreaking. They're beautiful. They're very emotional for many reasons. Some might talk about maybe it was their grandparents that came over to this country. Maybe they came over to this country. Maybe they had one of their great uncles or great grandfathers serve in a war, and they talk about the pride, the pride of what it means to be American.

11:24So that was the whole point is how do we inspire this next generation of leadership? It's as much about the future as it is the past. But also, again, we know that they'll remember these experiences for the rest of their lives, and that's what we want people to remember about the 250th is, again, not just a memory. but a feeling, right? What did you feel at the time? The same way I, how I felt on July 4th, 1976. It was definitely a feeling for me, not just a memory. It's funny you say that, because I was asking my, I wasn't around yet for the bicentennial, but I was asking my dad about it, and he was saying there was a lot of really cool stuff.

12:01He had very fond memories. Do you feel like what you're going to be able to outdo the 200th this year? Clearly, clearly. We already did, Right. I mean, if you know, if you get into the details of our programming, the letters that we receive, the emails that we receive, what we hear firsthand from those folks who are actually participating in everything that we're doing, whether it's our American story, where our airstreams are literally going around the country and bearing the buried treasure of stories never told, whether it's America Gives, which we launched in Times Square on December 31st, effective January 1, which is making 2026 the largest year of volunteer hours ever recorded by our country.

12:38It's never happened before. So, and it really is kind of validating this next generation. Because think about, for everyone who has high school kids who had to graduate from high school, they had to do community service hours, right? And so my kids had to do that. And so it's validating what they've already done and encouraging them to continue it on, you know, through college, through, you know, as adults. And how do we do this as part of our DNA, part of our lifestyle? Service is, you know, one of the values which our country was founded. How do we keep that going? So we're using the two federally recognized days of service to make giving back a year-round effort, right?

13:08So the first day of service in our country is MLK Day in January. Do you know the second federally recognized day of service in our country? Is it? No, I don't. It's 9-11. 9-11. I shouldn't. I knew that. And this year is the 25th anniversary of 9-11. We will not forget. And by using that milestone as a day of service, and we're going to literally have our commission meeting on Ellis Island on September 10th, September 11th, we will all be there volunteering with 9-11 Day, packing meals for those in need. That's incredible stuff. And I really I just I like the sense of civics, you know, instituting some civics among our younger generation, which sometimes, you know, a lot of people say, like, it doesn't feel like the American children necessarily have the civics education that that we did growing up, which I remember at least being a very important part of my, you know, K to 12 education.

14:01Rosie, I want to get into a little bit of the controversies because nothing is American without controversy, right? So the 250th anniversary, as I said at the top, was conceived as sort of this unified celebration. There's an increasingly this sort of like open dispute over control of the narrative, I guess you would say. You're with America 250. There's this other group called Freedom 250, which is the more sort of like political organization. The Interior Department has declared Freedom 250 to be the primary branding for all of the 250 celebrations, internal documents instructing staff that America 250 branding can still appear in the co-branded events, but Freedom 250 should be the lead identity.

14:41How is your organization sort of navigating the politics of this moment? Well, first of all, there is no controversy as far as I'm concerned. There is no TIF. You know, I think I think people like to create things when when there isn't something there. We at America 250, look, I'm the one that recommended that Freedom 250 be formed in the first place. We are in partnership with the administration. In fact, let me go back, you know, a year and a half ago, where in December of 2024, I sent a recommendation memo to the president with a series of recommendations on the 250th. By the way, I'm at the discretion of the president.

15:22I'm appointed by Congress as part of the commission, but I'm appointed by the president as chair. So something's working. But I'm the one that sent that recommendation memo to the president in December of 2024. The very first recommendation on there was to please issue an executive order mobilizing the federal agencies to begin their planning efforts for the 250th. On day 10 of the administration, Trump issued the executive order forming Task Force 250. Task Force 250 is exactly that. It's mobilizing all the federal agencies to begin their planning efforts for the 250th. immediately I started working with Vince Haley, the head of the Domestic Policy Council, as our liaison with the White House, as was designated in the executive order, along with all of Task Force 250.

16:11I brought in a number of folks on our team who would be able to help kind of bridge these activities with the administration, including Chris LaCivita, including Meredith Herwerk. They were part of our team. And just so you know the difference between Task Force 250 and Freedom 250. Task Force 250 is the same as America250.gov, which is basically kind of the policy arm, the planning arm. That's where our commissioners reside. And again, Task Force 250 is housed. Freedom 250 is similar to what we're doing on America250.org side. That's kind of the operational component. That's the able to procure, able to fundraise, et cetera, and implement.

16:49So I would say that's the parallel structure of America250.gov and America250.org is Task Force 250, which is the.gov, and then Freedom250, which is the.org. So my recommendation this last summer was to recommend to Task Force 250 that they also form a parallel organization the way America250.org was formed in order for them to also fundraise and do what the president wants to do, as he should, as he should. Remember, we represent the executive branch as well. And so this is a partnership. This was from day one a partnership at my recommendation. So, again, whatever controversy is out there, whatever you're hearing or reading, it's not coming from America 250.

17:36Again, people should have the ability to do what they want. This president deserves to have the celebration that he wants to have. And we are the only legislative organization mandated by Congress to fulfill these planning efforts. It's exactly what we're doing. So, you know, whatever tip is out there, it's I don't know. You're saying it's copacetic on your end. I have no issues whatsoever. Again, these are my recommendations. It's rolling out. And look, there's only one way to reach 350 million Americans. Right. My little my little tagline, 350 for 250. Only one way to do that. That, again, is by casting a broad net of participation across the country.

18:18Sea to shining sea. And those are all the activities that are happening to get to 350 million Americans. The more, the merrier. No, that's great. That's very clarifying. I appreciate that, Rosie. One follow-up, just based on some reporting in the Wall Street Journal, I believe, recently. So the journal was reporting that America 250 has received something along the lines of$25 million of the$150 million that was appropriated by Congress. Is that accurate? And if so, what happened to the rest of the money? That is accurate, and I actually don't know where the rest of the money is, but that is accurate.

18:49We received$25 million.

18:53Okay, let me ask you, I wanted to ask you a little bit about your own personal story, which is interesting. So you grew up in a household, I've read you talk about it, where sort of half the kids ended up Republicans, half ended up Democrats. You've credited that upbringing with sort of an ability to find common ground, which is something we're all about here at Newsweek, and keep people moving in the same direction. I know your parents came over from from Mexico. You're a Harvard graduate, the first Latina in Harvard's history to have a portrait commission there, which is which is pretty cool.

19:23All of that is to is to just tee you up with the question of, you know, as a Latina woman whose parents immigrated from Mexico to this great country, what does it mean to be, you know, the person charged with defining what this country's founding means? I mean, it's an amazing story that you're that you put in this position, isn't it? Yeah, I think what it boils down to is, you know, my parents came to Hayward, California in the Bay Area because my dad was a seasonal migrant worker at the Hunt's Tomato Factory. And that year that they got married, they decided to come to this great country legally and call it home.

19:53And, you know, 11 years and nine kids later, my mom left an abusive relationship. My dad returned to Mexico. My mom made the conscientious effort to stay. And why did she stay? It's because she knew that we would have a better life. And as a single parent, with the help of our Catholic church, she ended up sending all nine of us off to college. So, yes, I went to Harvard. My son went to Harvard. Look, we are the American dream. And I think that's what this is all about. So why am I doing, why am I chairing America 250? Because this is about the American dream. This is about making as many Americans as possible feel like this is the land of opportunity.

20:28And everything that we're doing as this movement of this values-based programming is exactly that, making folks understand the gift that we've all been given of being in this great country that many people still want to be in. It will always be great. And it's such a, again, beyond a privilege. It is surreal to think about the upbringing that I had and to be in this position today. And most folks wouldn't know this, by the way, because it's not on my resume. You're not going to really find it anywhere. But I was actually Harvard's student representative for their 350th anniversary in 1986. So even looking back then.

21:09This is old hat for you, Rosie. It is it is it is surreal. I mean, you know, there I am sitting next to Secretary George Schultz on stage. John Lithgow was our emcee. And, you know, there was the Boston Pops and it was a very big. So this year, Harvard turns 390 years old as our country turns 250 years old, which is, again, you can't make this up. And it's every minute. Every minute is worth it. Well, let me ask you one question before we go. Ten years from now, let's say 20 years from now, when sort of the politics of this moment have faded a little bit, What do you want people to remember about America 250 in the same way that, you know, my dad remembers the, you know, the events of the bicentennial 50 years ago?

21:56Yeah, we made a concerted effort to make sure that politics is not part of our agenda at all. In fact, I love saying no politics, just purpose. And that's what I want people to remember is the purpose behind this, the purpose of what we're doing. You know, one of the things that we already announced for July 4th is that we were calling that giving forth. Giving forth is aiming to make July 4th, 2026 meaningful for everyone and making that the largest day of charitable contributions in our country's history. It's going to be live aid on steroids. And if that's the legacy that moving forward, that every July 4th is going to move the needle for these nonprofits to receive their funding in advance, where most nonprofits receive one third of their revenue at the end of the year when people are thinking about their tax deductions.

22:42Like, how strange is that? So to make the halfway point of the year, the new kind of giving fourth day, if that is the legacy of America 250 and again, of making as many Americans as possible feel like this is the land of opportunity all over again, then our purpose has been served. Well, let's leave it there. I think that, you know, the legacy for me is you're going to be you're going to be the person who gets me into Times Square in the middle of the summer, which as a New Yorker. I'm not going to miss that. That sounds really cool. Rosie Rios, the chair of America 250, the former U.S. treasurer.

23:18Check out the programming. It's all online, America250.org. And, Rosie, thank you so much for your time today. Thanks for having me.