Military aircraft fly approach the Lincoln Memorial from the Washington Monument during the Salute to America on July 4, 2019, at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. Photo: Andrea Hanks / White House

National

Donald Trump's 'Salute to America' cost taxpayers $5.4 million

Friday, July 12, 2019

President Donald Trump's "Salute to America" on the Fourth of July cost taxpayers $5.4 million, The Associated Press reports.

The bulk of the funds, about $2.45 million, came from the Department of the Interior, the federal agency with the most responsibilities in Indian Country. The money was diverted from the National Park Service, according to the AP, and it totaled more than the entire budget for the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act in the current fiscal year.

"Tapping these funds for this rally is a blatant misappropriation and a violation of that agreement with the American public," Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-Arizona), the chairman of the House Committee on Natural Resources, wrote in a letter to Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt, who worked closely with Trump to plan and execute the event.

Trump's July 4th vanity project was not worth bankrupting a fund meant to protect the nation's capital from terrorist attacks--not to mention that he still hasn’t paid off the bills from his inauguration festivities. https://t.co/8EpOIrFbQF
— Raul M. Grijalva (@RepRaulGrijalva) July 11, 2019

Another big chunk of $1.7 million in "Salute to America" costs was paid by the District of Columbia, according to the AP. The figure doesn't include the amount spent by law enforcement in the nation's capital, with Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) telling Trump that the local government's entire security fund has been completely depleted as a result, The Washington Post reported.

Finally, the Department of Defense spent about $1.2 million the AP. The event, which took place on the National Mall, featured tanks and a flyover with military equipment and personnel.

The National NAGPRA Program is housed within the NPS. Trump has tried to completely eliminate its budget in his requests for fiscal year 2019 and fiscal year 2020. Congress rejected the cut in the current year and has sought a slight increase for the coming year.

"The 4th of July is a time to honor Americans from the days of the Revolutionary War to today who fought against tyranny," Rep. Betty McCollum (D-Minnesota), who chairs the House appropriations subcommittee that handles funding for the Department of the Interior and most Indian Country programs , wrote in a post on social media. "It is not a day for a partisan political rally & this admin should not be raiding national park fees to pay for it."

In an accompanying statement, McCollum vowed to "determine how this decision was made and hold the responsible parties accountable. This administration needs to be reminded that the power of the purse belongs to Congress.”

Trump has vowed to hold the event again next year.