Trump Cut Funds From Wasteful Projects To Spend on Wasteful Statue Garden
President Donald Trump has pledged to cut government waste, but hasn’t delivered much on that front so far. Even when his administration has cut from seemingly obvious sources—for example, federal funding for arts and humanities—Trump has simply redirected federal spending toward sources closer to his heart.
During his first term, Trump signed executive orders calling for the creation of the National Garden of American Heroes, which was to contain 250 statues of “historically significant Americans…who have contributed positively to America throughout our history.” In April, the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) began taking applications from sculptors. The plan is for the garden to open on July 4, 2026—the 250th anniversary of American independence.
That’s a rather ambitious turnaround time. “America doesn’t have enough quality sculptors or museum-caliber foundries to make this happen on Trump’s speedy timeline,” Politico‘s Michael Schaffer wrote this week. “Many U.S. fine-art foundries are booked anywhere from six to 18 months in advance. There also aren’t many of them.” As a result, “faster production often involves partnering with Chinese or other foreign facilities.”
There is also, as yet, no site chosen for the garden (though South Dakota Republican Gov. Larry Rhoden recommended a plot of land near Mount Rushmore, which its owner offered to donate).
Trump has very exacting standards, dictating that “all statues must be life-size and made of marble, granite, bronze, copper
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