Trump’s spending package has $40 million for Garden of Heroes

President Donald Trump's vast tax and spending law awards $40 million to the National Garden of American Heroes, a project Trump has promised since his first term. 

In 2021, days before leaving office, Trump signed an order directing the creation of a National Garden of American Heroes for the U.S.'s 250th birthday in 2026. Congress never passed funding, and President Joe Biden rescinded the order in 2021. 

On Jan. 29, Trump reinstated his previous executive order and told the National Endowment for the Humanities and National Endowment for the Arts to partner on the garden's construction. 

The garden's funding comes from canceled federal grants that originally supported arts and cultural groups. The Trump administration notified hundreds of arts groups in May that these grants would cease. 

"The NEA is updating its grantmaking policy priorities to focus funding on projects that reflect the nation's rich artistic heritage and creativity as prioritized by the President," the administration told the arts groups by email, as reported by news outlets. "Consequently, we are terminating awards that fall outside these new priorities."

The NEH and NEA said the garden's construction would cost $34 million, with some statues costing up to $200,000 each and others donated from states, businesses and other entities. The statues will be made of marble, granite, bronze, copper or brass, and depict "historical figures tied to the accomplishments of the United States," the groups said in April. 

Trump's first-term order included 244 names for potential inclusion in the garden, including presidents George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, inventors Alexander Graham Bell and Wilbur and Orville Wright, and athletes such as Kobe Bryant. PolitiFact reported the list was 78% men. 

The White House has not announced changes to the original list. Trump's January order directed domestic policy advisers to recommend six additional names to round the list to 250 in honor of the 2026 semiquincentennial. 

U.S. citizens had until July 1 to apply for grant funding to build statues.

It's still unclear where the garden will be located. In March, Gov. Larry Rhoden, R-S.D., proposed the Black Hills near Mount Rushmore in a letter to Trump. Indigenous groups oppose this proposal. 

The NEH and NEA have not publicly commented on the possibility of the garden's construction in the Black Hills, but said they plan to start the project Oct. 1. The organizations estimated the project will take eight months to complete. 

We'll continue to monitor the status of Trump's long-awaited promise. We rate this promise In the Works. 

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