Senate Judiciary Subcommittee Holds Hearing On “Protecting American Citizenship”

[38:05] hearing of the senate judiciary subcommittee on the constitution to order today's topic is [38:10] protecting american citizenship america 250 and reclaiming american citizenship we'll start with [38:16] an opening statement by myself the ranking member um probably senator durbin after that [38:23] in just a few days on july 4th america turns 250 years old a serious nation marks an anniversary [38:31] like that with remembering the people who made the inheritance possible the american story begins [38:38] with a declaration a bold one but it doesn't stay on parchment it moves it crosses rivers cuts roads [38:47] through forests climbs mountains builds cabins churches farms courthouses towns and states it [38:56] begins with the founders then is carried forward by citizens george washington crossed the delaware [39:02] with an army that was cold hungry unpaid and close to collapse he held them together he won [39:09] then when victory offered the oldest temptation in politics he gave power back washington proved the [39:17] republic needs men strong enough to command to command and disciplined enough to surrender command [39:25] at philadelphia thomas jefferson gave the revolution its creed rights come from the creator government [39:33] rests on consent a people may resist tyranny when government destroys the ends for which it exists [39:39] those words were pledged by men ready to risk their lives fortunes and their sacred honor madison and [39:47] the framers then gave that creed a constitution structure they understood that liberty needs law [39:53] self-government needs structure a free people must know how to govern themselves without surrendering [39:58] their freedom to kings mobs or bureaucrats then the story moved west daniel boone cut through the [40:05] cumberland gap and helped open kentucky he walked out on into danger so many families could then follow [40:13] lewis and clark left from missouri and pushed up the river into a continent still unknown to the american mind [40:21] the core of discovery mapped measured hunted negotiated endured hunger crossed mountains and kept moving [40:28] they turned blank space on a map into a route for a new people davy crockett carried that same spirit [40:35] from the frontier to congress and then to the alamo he was a hunter soldier storyteller legislator and [40:43] finally a defender crockett reminded us that american citizenship was never supposed to be soft it was [40:50] plain spoken independent brave and willing to stand when standing meant death kit carson was a missourian [40:59] from the old edge of the republic he left boyhood behind on the santa fe trail and spent his life [41:06] where civilization met danger he guided john c fremont crossed the rockies rode through deserts fought in [41:14] wars and made himself useful wherever the country needed men who could move endure and lead carson helped [41:21] make the west knowable passable and american that's the story our children should know america was built [41:29] by founders and frontiersmen and soldiers and statesmen farmers and mothers preachers and pioneers [41:36] they were mortal men they carried an immortal inheritance the republic survived because ordinary [41:42] americans understood that freedom is inherited as a duty before it is enjoyed as a right last week the [41:50] senate unanimously passed legislation to repass the declaration of independence now the house must act [41:56] speaker johnson should bring it up pass it and send it to the president's desk so the president can [42:01] sign the declaration again on independence day that would be a national act of memory and memory is [42:08] exactly what this moment requires too many institutions now teach that the american story is an indictment [42:15] instead of an inheritance they treat patriotism as embarrassing national memory is dangerous and [42:21] gratitude as a sign of ignorance they reduce our heroes to their flaws our founding to its contradictions [42:29] and our country to our country to its sins that is civic vandalism a country cannot survive if it teaches its children [42:37] despise the men who built it distrust the constitution that protects it and sneer at the flag that marks the [42:44] graves of those who died for it that is why the fight over america 250 matters the 250th birthday of the united states [42:54] united states should look and feel like america should have a flag should have an anthem it should have [43:02] the white house the national mall military flyovers state fairs rodeos families veterans and citizens [43:08] gathered together to celebrate the greatest nation in the history of the world it should be unapologetically [43:15] american this anniversary should not become a bland bureaucratic exercise managed by people embarrassed [43:22] by ordinary patriotism it should be a national recovery of memory of gratitude and duty citizenship [43:31] is the bond that turns land into country and a population into a people it's the reason we the [43:39] people can govern it's the reason the vote belongs to citizens it's the reason public schools once [43:45] taught young americans to revere the declaration honor the constitution and recognize that heroes who carry [43:52] this country forward the lesson is simple america is kept by citizens by people who know they belong [44:00] to a nation owe allegiance to that nation and have a duty to pass it on at 250 years that is the spirit [44:08] we must reclaim senator welch um pardon me thank you very much uh mr chairman uh america's 250th anniversary [44:17] is an incredible incredible milestone and it belongs to each and every one of us the word [44:23] citizen i think uh the chairman used is right and so much of what you just uh read in your opening [44:28] statement i agree with and it is a time for us to ask how do we strengthen our democratic experiment [44:35] into the future uh and it's not foreordained it's up to each generation to renew it and i believe we [44:42] should be using the moment to focus on those shared ideals that our country was founded upon in liberty [44:49] of rejection of tyranny consent of the governor as you mentioned mr chairman and it also represents an [44:55] opportunity for each and every one of us regardless of our political orientation to celebrate this [45:01] country that we're part of that we helped build in 2016 congress came together to establish a planning [45:07] commission to celebrate america's 250th anniversary and the commission was bipartisan the goal was to allow [45:15] america and our ideals to be the focus and not the focus being on any one person to my dismay and regret [45:25] president trump in my view has decided to create a completely separate entity called freedom 250 [45:34] which was to develop its own plans for our anniversary and this entity with very little oversight is [45:41] estimated to cost 103 million dollars in taxpayer funds and the official planning organization [45:48] authorized by a bipartisan vote of congress has received a fraction of that and my view the president [45:57] seems to be using this occasion this occasion to engage in self-promotion self-dealing and selling access [46:05] to himself that's not what a 250th anniversary that belongs to each of us should be about [46:12] so we have the president wanting to create an arc of 250 feet high on july 4th the president plans to [46:23] hold a political rally on the national mall it really is about honoring him as opposed to celebrating the [46:30] shared history that all of us are part of and there are many other examples putting the president's face [46:36] on a 250 bill this is the opposite of what president washington did when he essentially walked away from [46:45] power there are countless other examples though freedom through freedom 250 president trump has also [46:53] engineered a pay to access scheme this happened where individuals and corporations compete for proximity [47:00] by the amount of money they pay that actually is happening the president hosted a ufc fight on the white [47:07] house grounds for his birthday tickets were sold for up to 1.5 million dollars the company built a 90 foot [47:17] two foot tall 600 ton steel structure called the claw damaging the white house south lawn in the process [47:27] uh conservatively the damage will cost taxpayers 700 000 to repair not to mention the estimated 10 to 12 [47:37] million in taxpayer funds that were used for security in the event freedom 250 is selling speaking slots [47:45] at the president's july 4th rally two and a half million dollars a pop that's just not the way it should be [47:54] and they're self-dealing dana white the ceo of the ufc is a close friend and ally of the president [48:00] and president owned the president owns stock in ufc's parent company some of the fighters who participated [48:07] in the event were paid not in cash but in trump family crypto in the president's family collaborated [48:15] with the ufc to sell freedom 250 gold coins with trump's face on them the cost of those coins up to [48:23] 12 000 each the president also awarded no bid or low competition contracts to repair the paint in [48:32] the on the reflecting pool in quote american flag blue unquote that project has now cost taxpayers about [48:40] 16 million dollars experts have said that the dark color of the paint raised the temperature of the water [48:47] leading to algae blooms the most algae recorded in the last five years and part of that 16 million [48:55] was a 1.7 million dollar no bid contract a no bid contract that went to green water solutions [49:02] the company is owned by john caferro a contributor to president trump and also a mar-a-lago neighbor [49:11] mr caferro's contract is to create a new filtration system for the pool [49:15] but as you may have noticed the filtration system isn't working maybe they can use the vacuum up [49:23] algae to fix the white house lawn that was damaged after the president's birthday party [49:29] now president trump is using the park police and national guard to arrest people who touch the water in [49:38] the reflecting pool literally national guard is out there doing that those they've even arrested a [49:46] three-time olympian who says he only touched a piece of loose paint that's happening on our 250th anniversary [49:53] mr chairman i am so glad we recognized america 250 today and i so much of your statement i really agreed [50:00] with but we can't have this discussion without acknowledging what happened 250 years ago the founders [50:06] declared independence severing ties with the british king because they knew their liberty was being subverted [50:14] by the king in his inner circle of corrupt uh parliament advisors and these advisors gained access to the [50:22] king through their money and their status to bypass parliament i can't help but notice how closely the [50:29] president's actions merit the concerns that shaped our founding he has fostered a marketplace a marketplace [50:37] for influence where access goes to the highest bidder and it's a bitter irony that president trump [50:44] is honoring our nation's anniversary by embracing many of the practices that the founders rejected [50:50] but let me be clear we should be celebrating what makes this country so great freedom of speech and [50:57] religion responsive representation the rule of law our beautiful geography our vibrant culture our rich [51:04] traditions the rule of law again and we have so much to be proud of and mr chairman one of my favorite [51:12] traditions dating back to 1909 is the bipartisan congressional baseball game it occurred just a few weeks ago [51:21] and for those of you who missed it chairman schmidt made an incredible diving catch during the game [51:30] and i hope the cardinals were there watching so so congratulations mr chairman but this celebration has to be [51:40] about all of us not about an individual person it has to be about a shared sense of values and commitment [51:48] to the future and it has to be at us about a celebration not part private personal gain uh those are the [51:55] traditions we should be celebrating uh mr chairman i yield back and congratulations to you on your heroics [52:02] thank you we can agree on that so thank you appreciate that senator durbin thank you mr chairman and [52:09] having grown up across the river from you in illinois uh i listened very carefully at you as you [52:16] recounted the history of the united states and virtually every founding father who ever touched missouri [52:22] in the process i believe you included lewis and clark and daniel boone and davy crockett and so forth [52:28] you only left one uh person of great repute one of our founding fathers who transformed america stan [52:36] museal out of that equation but we'll forgive you for that yes thank you mr chairman 250 years ago a [52:43] group of men gathered in philadelphia and drafted the declaration of independence we all know that [52:49] they went on to draft our constitution bill of rights creating something the world had never seen [52:54] before a nation founded not on ethnicity or bloodline but on universal ideas the idea that all men were [53:01] created equal endowed with certain unalienable rights the idea that the government derived its power [53:07] through the consent of those it governed that was a unique idea for the first time in human history [53:14] a nation defined itself by its values rather than by its ancestry that is an achievement worth [53:20] celebration and we should celebrate it but as we do we must reckon honestly with the founders failures [53:27] the men who signed the declaration enslaved people they proclaimed liberty while denying it to [53:34] millions slavery was our nation's original sin so at the time not all men were treated equally let [53:42] alone all people acknowledging that truth isn't an attack on america it's the beginning of an [53:49] understanding of what we have been through what america actually is there's nothing wrong with that [53:55] i can recall the creation at least the existence of the soviet union and how the soviets time and [54:02] again would rewrite history to match what they wanted to have happen not what actually happened [54:08] acknowledging the truth isn't an attack on america it's the beginning of understanding who we are [54:15] because the story of this country is a story of progress forward movement and change we fought [54:21] a civil war over the issue of slavery and at the end ratified the 14th amendment we passed the civil [54:29] rights act and voting rights act we recognized the dignity of women workers and people with disability [54:37] we're nothing we're not we didn't come up short because of that recognition we made the promise of [54:43] liberty extend forward and with each generation we've extended the promise of the founding to new americans [54:51] immigrants who formed the fabric of our nation have made what it is today that progress is a true [54:56] measure of america's goodness in 1911 a ship landed in baltimore maryland and a mother got off the boat [55:03] with three little kids she was on her way to the land of opportunity and that land of opportunity [55:09] she believed was east st louis illinois where i was born and raised that was my grandmother and my two-year-old [55:15] mother was one of the passengers in my office today is my mother's naturalization certificate [55:21] a reminder to me and to everyone who visits i am the proud son of an immigrant i am not embarrassed [55:26] by my immigrant ancestry i am proud of it and the amazing things that those people achieved [55:32] made a better life for me and for this country efforts to overturn that progress are deeply troubling [55:38] to me efforts to turn back on our history as a nation of immigrants to erode the civil rights [55:44] protections that generations of americans sacrificed to secure we shouldn't be about rewriting [55:50] history like the soviets let's be honest about it the warts and all the wrinkles included let's [55:57] hear the whole story let's not be afraid of the truth in america to reinterpret the 14th amendment [56:03] ratified to ensure that no one born on this soil would ever be defined as anything less than a full [56:09] american we didn't come this far to go back nor did we come this far to diminish our collective progress [56:15] by elevating and cheering on pettiness cruelty and corruption unfortunately president trump's [56:22] contribution to this anniversary has been to repair the lincoln memorial reflecting pool to american flag [56:28] blue through a no-bid contract to a clearly unqualified firm we know what happened next the cost [56:36] ballooned from 1.8 million to more than 15 million the paint peeled the algae returned seemingly without [56:44] evidence the president has blamed vandals and terrorists there are cameras on that reflecting [56:50] pool 24 7. if somebody tried to get gash the bottom of that liner 250 feet do you think we might have [56:58] caught them we would if it actually happened but the reflecting pool is just the most visible system [57:03] symptom of something much deeper this president and his administration is engaged in breathtaking corruption [57:11] accepting a 400 million dollar luxury jet from the government of qatar suing his own internal revenue [57:18] service for 10 billion dollars and being rewarded by the man who wants to be attorney general with [57:24] lifetime immunity from potential tax crimes lifetime immunity have we ever given that to anyone in [57:31] america the president gave it to himself and that slush fund of 1.8 billion dollars engaged in blatant [57:38] self-dealing through his family's crypto vehicles while also adding to his list of foreign conflict [57:43] of interest with trump branded project projects abroad like the new trump tower in tablacy running a pump [57:50] and dump scheme through trump and melania mem coins that resulted in investors losing over 4 billion dollars [57:57] in interfering in high profile mergers such as paramount warner for his own personal and political [58:04] benefit and he's turned the department of justice into both a shield that dismisses case [58:09] against his allies and those who violently attacked his capital and a sword that targets his political [58:15] opponents that is not the rule of law that is weaponization that is corruption not behind closed [58:22] doors but with the doors wide open and it's precisely what the founders feared when they built this republic [58:28] so as we gather to mark 250 years of american democracy let's be honest about who we were and who we are [58:35] we've made extraordinary progress i'm not embarrassed to say i'm a patriot i love this country i'll bet you [58:41] boast everyone in this room who shares my feelings the founders gave us a republic the question on this [58:46] anniversary is whether we have the wisdom and courage to keep it and to be honest i hope today's [58:52] hearing rise to that challenge i yield thank you senator is the custom of this committee to have our [58:58] witnesses sworn in so if you would please stand and raise your right hand do you swear that the testimony [59:06] you're about to give to this committee is the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth [59:09] so help you god thank you be seated okay well i will um introduce the witnesses and go from left [59:17] to right and then give your opening statements again we appreciate um all three of you being here [59:22] chris griswold is the policy director at american compass a washington dc think tank focused on [59:29] rebuilding a conservative economic agenda around workers families communities and the common good [59:35] he previously served as a senior policy advisor to senator marco rubio and has held research [59:39] fellowships at the council on foreign relations rutgers university and the research institute of [59:45] economy trade and industry in tokyo his writings his writing appears in american and international [59:52] outlets before entering policy world he helped launch a nationwide youth development nonprofit [59:57] in south africa he's a graduate of wheaton college and princeton theological seminary mr mr whitehouse [1:00:07] tim whitehouse is here he's the executive director of public employees for environmental [1:00:12] responsibility a national nonprofit organization based in silver spring maryland he has spent more [1:00:17] than 30 years working on environmental issues across government business nonprofit and community [1:00:21] settings before joining peer he served as a senior attorney at the epa and led the law and policy [1:00:30] program at the north american commission for environmental cooperation in montreal he's also worked as a [1:00:36] consultant on environmental compliance issues and with non-profit organizations focused on clean energy [1:00:41] climate toxics and nuclear disarmament he holds a jd and ba from emory university and an ma from [1:00:48] nyu thank you for being here and dr matthew spalding is the kirby professor in constitutional [1:00:55] government and dean of the van andel graduate school of government at hillsdale college where he [1:01:00] oversees the kirby center in washington dc he's the author of the making of the american mind [1:01:06] the story of our declaration of independence and we still hold these truths and served as executive [1:01:12] director president of president trump's 1776 commission dr spalding has written extensively [1:01:19] on the declaration the constitution civic education and the principles of the american founding he received [1:01:26] his ba from claremont mckenna college and his ma and phd from claremont graduate school thank you all for [1:01:33] being here today and we'll start with you mr griswold mr chairman ranking member welch senator durbin [1:01:40] thank you so much for having me american compass is an economic policy think tank our goal is an [1:01:45] american economics that remembers what the ultimate purpose of an economy is which is human flourishing [1:01:50] and the productive activity and healthy institutions that support that flourishing but when we look around [1:01:57] it's pretty clear that america's economic failures are symptoms of a deeper failing the signs of decline [1:02:03] are all around us rising inequality falling marriage rates exploding deficits voiceless and disposable [1:02:09] workers isolated individuals collapsing communities and as we've talked to people both in and outside [1:02:16] the washington bubble we keep returning to one concept to describe what people feel they've lost [1:02:22] citizenship people feel that we have lost our sense of shared citizenship solidarity mutual obligation [1:02:30] the agency that we have together as the american people not citizenship in the legalistic sense but [1:02:37] in the thick reciprocal relational sense that provides the bedrock of a functional republic citizenship in [1:02:43] this sense is the bond that turns a population into a unified people establishing mutual obligation within [1:02:50] our communities across the nation and between generations but if the american people increasingly do not [1:02:57] understand themselves to be full and equal participants in a shared american project if the failed communal [1:03:04] economic and national scripts we've been running are proving insufficient then the question begs itself [1:03:10] what happened well i think what happened is that the american elites responsible for setting the nation's [1:03:16] course corrupted the communal economic and national life on which it depends and we willingly shirked our [1:03:23] obligations devolving from citizens into mere consumers and so in an era of unprecedented wealth we face fiscal [1:03:32] collapse and tenuous economic security for working families we face generational collapse as we fail to guide young [1:03:39] people towards successful adulthood we face institutional collapse as both our markets and our government [1:03:45] continually betray our trust reclaiming american citizenship then begins with the assertion that it is worth [1:03:53] reclaiming and with articulating what we might do with that shared agency once reclaimed a few ideas of what i [1:04:00] think that might look like one we must reject isolation and atomization we are disconnected from each other [1:04:07] and increasingly from reality we must choose instead laws on a culture that provide well-defined paths through life [1:04:14] supported by meaningful relationships and institutions refocused on their purpose we must reject stagnation and sclerosis [1:04:23] our society has lost its ambition its appetite for risk and its interest in the future we must choose [1:04:29] instead a youthful determination to channel our common resources towards achieving great things we must reject [1:04:37] the lottery economy economic opportunity has become another word for escape from the blighted conditions [1:04:44] in which everyone else lives we must choose instead the vindication of every citizen's inherent dignity [1:04:51] premise not on escape for the few but decent lives for all we must reject naked consumerism and choose [1:04:58] instead a non-negotiable commitment to agency competence self-determination and the use of technology to enrich lives [1:05:07] rather than monetize their decay we must reject chaos and corruption our elites have normalized the culture of [1:05:16] taking what they can get we must choose instead to rebuild trustworthy institutions and impose consequences [1:05:23] on those who abuse power for personal gain whether in the halls of government or on the company jet we must [1:05:29] reject polarization and despair the polluted public square has become an arena merely for fighting and [1:05:36] capable of achieving change we must choose instead a responsive politics that has faith in the wisdom [1:05:43] of ordinary citizens decline is a choice and we can choose otherwise it is the precise purpose of our [1:05:52] citizen-led republic as described in our constitution to do just that to establish justice to ensure [1:05:59] domestic tranquility to provide for the common defense to promote the general welfare and secure [1:06:05] the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity and we have a guide as to whether or not we are [1:06:11] achieving those purposes well offered in the declaration of independence written 250 years ago this year [1:06:18] that all of us are endowed by our creator with infinite dignity and worth it is the purpose of [1:06:24] citizenship to protect it and so my message to the committee is that if our leaders want to reclaim [1:06:31] the promise of our shared american citizenship if we want to protect it and preserve it we must begin by [1:06:38] reclaiming a sense of what that shared citizenship means and what it is for and offer that positive [1:06:46] furiously optimistic vision to the american public thank you mr chairman thank you mr whitehouse yes [1:06:55] chairman schmidt ranking member welsh senator durbin and all members of the subcommittee thank you for [1:07:00] the opportunity to testify today and for the work that you do as americans mark our 250th anniversary [1:07:08] the themes of shared civic identity and citizenship give this commemoration its deepest significance [1:07:15] that is why america's 250th birthday should be a moment that brings us together unfortunately what [1:07:21] should be a non-partisan celebration has become a growing scandal involving secrecy political favoritism [1:07:28] and the diversion of significant taxpayer funds and resources to a private entity operating outside the [1:07:35] oversight structure congress created the american people deserve answers here's some background in 2016 [1:07:43] congress established america 250 as the official bipartisan entity responsible for commemorating our [1:07:50] nation's 250th anniversary congress created a structure with oversight mechanisms and clear lines of [1:07:57] accountability that public funds would be spent appropriately and that the celebration would belong to all americans [1:08:04] not to any political party administration or special interest group and that's all in line with past [1:08:10] precedents shortly after congress appropriated funds to the secretary of the interior for observance of [1:08:16] this important anniversary the trump administration created a private entity freedom 250 shielded as a [1:08:23] limited liability company and as a subsidiary of the national park foundation in public reports indicate that [1:08:30] secretary burghum directed at least a hundred million dollars in taxpayer money to this private and [1:08:36] increasingly partisan entity since then reports have raised troubling questions about whether freedom 250 [1:08:43] is being used to sell access to the president conceal the identity of donors and spend taxpayer dollars on [1:08:50] partisan political activities it was in that spirit the organization i lead public employees for environmental [1:08:56] responsibility sent a letter to interior secretary burghum in january of this year seeking answers to [1:09:03] some of these pressing questions specifically we asked secretary burghum to disclose why a reported 100 million [1:09:10] dollars in taxpayer funds were diverted from america 250 to freedom 250 and how those funds were being used [1:09:18] to clarify whether freedom 250 is raising private funds in addition to receiving taxpayer dollars [1:09:24] and to share information on government and national park foundation staff time and other in-kind resources [1:09:31] being used to support freedom 250 the secretary has the ability to resolve these questions by releasing a [1:09:37] full accounting of who funds freedom 250 and how it operates but has failed to do so and since we sent our [1:09:43] letter more troubling information has come to light this includes reports that freedom 250 has crafted bespoke [1:09:50] packages for sponsors sponsorship tiers begin at 500 000 including vip access and speaking roles at the national [1:09:58] fourth of july celebration sponsorship packages for lawn access to the ufc fight on the white house lawn [1:10:05] reportedly began at one million dollars we've also seen repeatedly sponsored corporations [1:10:12] paying money for sponsorships that have regulatory matters before the [1:10:16] the administration for example paramount's mega merger with time warner was approved just a few days [1:10:22] before paramount exclusively broadcast the ufc fight on the white house lawn thrown in celebration of [1:10:28] the president's birthday and just last week president trump posted on social media that he will be using [1:10:35] national fourth of july celebration to hold a political rally on the mall after numerous entertainers [1:10:41] pulled out because of the overtly political transformation of the event by freedom 250 and i would be remiss if [1:10:48] i didn't mention that many of the employees that we often work with especially national park service [1:10:54] employees are being pressured to wear freedom 250 pens brought by the government from a trump-aligned [1:11:00] company and to put freedom 250 logos on their official email signatures a 250th anniversary celebration [1:11:09] should strengthen our trust in democratic institutions and work toward common civic identity not degrade [1:11:15] into a political spectacle when it comes to freedom 250 the american people deserve to know who is funding [1:11:22] this effort and most importantly what they expect to get in return as i was thinking about today's uh hearing [1:11:30] i wanted to think about what we all shared in common as americans and what we need to reclaim and so i think we [1:11:36] need to reclaim and fight for transparency in government accountability in government oversight in [1:11:43] government and we need to put guard rails against the current pay-to-play politics in our system and to [1:11:49] fight corruption those are civic values worth fighting for thank you for holding uh this hearing and [1:11:56] discussing these important issues and i look forward to answering your questions thank you dr spaulding [1:12:06] uh thank you chairman smith ranking member welch my testimony this afternoon focuses on the meaning [1:12:11] and status of the declaration of independence which was adopted by the continental congress on july 4th [1:12:16] 1776. as a legislature of all the colonies the continental congress spoke in collective terms and addressed [1:12:23] their common relations with england it was the first formal constitutional institution of american union [1:12:28] and for all practical purposes our first national government the word congress was first used to [1:12:34] indicate a gathering of legislative of a legislative body the first time by american colonists every [1:12:40] official printing the declaration begins in congress july 4th 1776 the closing paragraph of the declaration [1:12:47] begins we therefore the representatives of the united states of america in general congress assembled [1:12:53] though it continued to call itself the continental or confederation congress the congress under the [1:12:59] articles of confederation was formally referred to as the united states in congress assembled the [1:13:05] declaration of independence is a legislative pronouncement structured in the form of a common law legal [1:13:11] document preamble statement of principles indictment of facts and a formal conclusion it is all [1:13:18] important but the document's famous second paragraph the one beginning we hold these truths to be self-evident [1:13:24] is a synced and powerful synthesis of american constitutional and public ideas the equality of all men does not deny [1:13:33] qualities by which humans are unequal but means that those human differences physical ethnic social racial [1:13:40] sexual intellectual are insignificant as a matter of right and that the wise or the stronger do not have [1:13:46] a just claim to rule as the source of right nature gives each an equal claim because all are equally human [1:13:55] that is the engine that fueled the abolition of slavery all men are also equally endowed with certain unalable rights [1:14:02] these rights do not come from government but exist by virtue or common humanity whether understood by [1:14:09] nature in the natural law tradition or by god government is instituted to secure these rights [1:14:15] deriving its just powers from the consent of those governed as a practical matter the declaration of [1:14:20] independence announced to the world the unanimous decision of 13 american colonies to separate [1:14:25] themselves from great britain but it also announced our separate equal station among the powers of the earth [1:14:31] john hancock the president of the continental congress in dispatching copies of the declaration [1:14:36] instructed that it should be considered as the ground and foundation of a future government later [1:14:42] thomas jefferson and james madison described the declaration as the fundamental act of union of [1:14:47] these states the declaration is not a severance agreement but america's first founding document and [1:14:54] it reigns a defining statement of america's meaning and purpose it is also america's first constitutional [1:15:00] document and because of that is listed as the first organic document in the first volume of the [1:15:04] united states code that is why we celebrate july 4th not the end of the revolutionary war the [1:15:09] ratification of the constitution as our national birthday but the declaration's greatest significance [1:15:15] both then and now is its enduring statement to the limits of political authority and the proper [1:15:20] ends of government and its proclamation of a new basis of political rule in the sovereignty of the [1:15:25] people the final appeal was not to any positive law or evolving tradition but to rights inherently [1:15:31] possessed by all the distinction the old distinctions of tribe race and ethnicity whether athenian or [1:15:38] spartan big pagan or jew catholic or protestant black or white are no longer the determining factor of [1:15:44] political legitimacy or nationhood our significant identity is grounded on a common recognition of [1:15:51] equal humanity as a nation among other nations many of which do not recognize respect our principles let [1:15:57] alone our national interest america must ensure a strong internal sense of national identity a profound [1:16:03] example of this is our policies towards immigrants because of our founding principles this country [1:16:09] has always welcomed immigrants who come here honestly with a good work ethic and appreciation of [1:16:13] freedom seeking prompts and opportunity america offers yet by those same principles we also insist [1:16:19] they must embrace their adopted country not by rejecting ethnic heritage and cultural identities but [1:16:24] through a deliberate and self-commoned policy of patriotic assimilation the declaration of independence is [1:16:30] revolutionary not because of a particular group of americans declared their independence from the rulers [1:16:35] but because they did so by appealing to a permanent standard of justice as such the declaration [1:16:41] meaning transcends history and the particulars of the time self-evident truths the laws of nature and [1:16:46] nature's god are not restricted to any to one era or nation they are as true today as they were in 1776 [1:16:54] applicable to all men in all times as lincoln wrote now on our 20th 50th anniversary we should take this [1:17:00] opportunity to celebrate but also relearn our history but we must rediscover the truths that are held to be [1:17:06] self-evident the declaration is the common creed of america's civic life it unites us and makes america exceptional [1:17:14] and worthy of our affection i strongly urge the congress to take appropriate and formal action to mark america's [1:17:21] semi-quincentennial thank you thank you um dr spaulding i'll start where america starts and kind of where you left off with [1:17:31] with the declaration your testimony describes the declaration as the first um constitutional act and [1:17:38] part of organic law and it begins by speaking of one people um assuming it's separate and equal [1:17:46] station among the powers of the earth there's a lot of layers to that document and who the audiences were [1:17:52] and it was it was in the room it was the audience it was the other colonies were the audience the [1:17:58] justification to the world that locke sort of alludes to in his second treatise of what were the [1:18:03] grievances upon which you can have this revolution um be be legitimate um but what what does that phrase [1:18:10] what does the one people phrase mean to you how do you how do you view that no good question the [1:18:15] declaration assumes the americans have become one people beginning of the declaration and through the [1:18:21] declaration they make further distinctions between what that one people is and another which turned out [1:18:26] to be our british brethren but the british brethren turns out are deaf to our claims of justice why [1:18:34] because they are subjects subjects of the crown they are they are not citizens in the founding [1:18:40] documents not just the declaration but throughout the pamphlets and the writings of the time [1:18:44] the americans always refer to themselves as a people the british are not referred to as a people [1:18:50] they are subjects those distinctions grounded in the declaration's understanding of rights i think [1:18:56] are absolutely crucial uh they clearly meant uh our heritage our history our common sufferings during [1:19:02] the revolution the place uh all the particulars we associate with being a people but it wasn't because [1:19:08] they're british it wasn't because they're protestant it wasn't because of their color it was because they [1:19:13] had all those particular things in common but then they fought together they thought through together [1:19:20] they governed together um and uh associated themselves with these principles which had deeper roots than themselves [1:19:28] the principles uh enunciated in the declaration which jefferson famously called an expression of the american [1:19:35] mind not his not john locke's even but but the american mind so i i think the notion of a people [1:19:43] combining uh particulars as well as universals uh the idea of a place and and uh an existence uh that we [1:19:52] associate with with nationhood throughout the world but also a dedication to these universal principles is [1:19:58] what defines american citizenship in such a profound way which is why the understanding of of of peopleness [1:20:07] you get the declaration is is is definitive uh or defines what we mean by citizenship and what it [1:20:14] means to become a citizen means to become and participate in us as a people which means understanding [1:20:22] among other things our principles and ideas um which is why i think the the declaration teaches us two [1:20:30] things in particular about that question one is anyone could become an american in theory in principle [1:20:36] uh as opposed to say being a frenchman that's an ethnic uh or a historical or bloodline uh distinction [1:20:43] but anybody could become an american but it must be according to our consent and according to our [1:20:49] principles uh we welcome them here under those circumstances i think that's all tied to the notion of [1:20:54] citizenship that grows out of the declaration's understanding of people um very well said mr griswold um [1:21:04] your testimony begins with this uh same idea uh in you know um in our in our present national life you [1:21:11] talk about the bond uh that a population has uh into a unified people what um and for decades um i i've [1:21:20] certainly viewed it i think i think you probably would agree that washington in many ways is treated [1:21:26] um america is some sort of like economic zone with some airports and there's gdp numbers and um there's [1:21:35] consumers and beneficiaries and and in many many ways we sort of lost the the concept of citizenship [1:21:42] it's certainly not taught it's certainly not taught in schools and it's been i think it's been degraded [1:21:46] by some of the things we saw the four years with with our with our um lack of you know border security but [1:21:53] um what did we lose when leaders stopped talking about citizenship or what can be gained if we start [1:22:00] talking about it again thank you mr chairman i think we've lost a great deal uh i think we've lost as i [1:22:06] mentioned in my testimony a coherent set of communal economic and national norms um but maybe more [1:22:15] personally i think what we've lost is the capacity to see ourselves uh as as what we are and as fifa as [1:22:21] people visiting for the world cup maybe see us yes yes and and i think i think we have gotten to a [1:22:28] point where the american people see themselves as less than what they are right if you are um convinced [1:22:34] that your vote doesn't matter and that politics is not responsive to your real concern you start to [1:22:38] think of yourself as something less than a full participant in a democratic republic as something [1:22:42] less than a full citizen if you are discarded easily from your job when your job is casually shipped [1:22:50] overseas because washington didn't care about the capacity to make things in america or if you are [1:22:56] unable to spend time with your family because your employer at your low-wage job is subjecting you to [1:23:02] variable scheduling every day um you start to think of yourself as something less than a full [1:23:07] participant in american economic life um i have a uh a friend named schuyler who was in the rust belt [1:23:15] he's an electrical contractor without a college degree so he's exactly the kind of guy that [1:23:20] politicians love to tokenize and he has become quite disillusioned with politicians of all stripes [1:23:28] kind of presumption to speak for working people but the other day i sent him the statement that american [1:23:36] compass recently released on reclaiming american citizenship and he told me that it was the most [1:23:40] energizing thing he had read in a long time and when i asked him why this is what he said i wrote it [1:23:45] down because i wanted to read it for you he said he didn't know how any pursuit of the common good could [1:23:51] actually occur in a society where we are all living our lives not as engaged citizens but as individuals [1:23:58] who's only felt participation in anything outside ourselves is consumption and outrage he talked [1:24:05] about how our politics and media and elected leaders benefit from making us suspicious of one another [1:24:11] distrusting of our fellow citizens and then to answer your question what do we stand to gain the [1:24:16] last thing he said to me that struck me the most was that what the american people are desperate for [1:24:24] is a furious and relentless optimism his words that can steamroll american nihilism and hopelessness [1:24:31] and his request to me was to pass along to you that inviting americans to participate in a renewed sense [1:24:39] of aggressive optimism is the most enticing thing that working americans could hope for so i think we have [1:24:44] lost a tremendous amount i think we stand to gain a tremendous amount if we can reclaim this sense of [1:24:50] ourselves as as full agents as full actors in our communal economic and national life as full citizens [1:24:57] who are capable of doing things together that we aren't capable of doing apart in the service of a [1:25:04] shared goal as as as americans well i think um very well said and i also i think of although he comes later [1:25:13] it sort of reminds me of tocqueville when he's writing democracy in america and he's sending this [1:25:18] basically it's like a dispatch back to europe like what's happening in america you know the war [1:25:23] of 1812 had ended the british finally accepted the idea that we were an independent nation after they [1:25:28] burned the white house down um or set fire to it um and he's writing back and he's trying to figure out [1:25:35] what's going on with this kind of american dynamism and what's happening and he thinks he's going to [1:25:39] figure out that washington dc maybe has some better bureaucrats uh than they have uh in europe and he gets into [1:25:47] the the countryside and what he realizes is that um what makes america great was this real this sense [1:25:56] of community this sense of people a nation of joiners that people were connected to their church [1:26:03] or the modern day knights of columbus or whatever it is and so i think there's a real risk in this kind [1:26:09] of centralization that's happened over time and why rail on the administrative state and these sort of [1:26:13] things because it is something that wasn't considered by the founders but this kind of [1:26:17] aggregation of authority or looking to this town to solve every problem the truth of the matter is [1:26:24] a lot of those most of the really smart solutions come back home when people are coming together [1:26:29] and they're in a room face to face and i think we're real risk right now with not just the things [1:26:35] that are being i think taught in our schools to sort of despise america and only focus on the flaws [1:26:41] but beyond that uh in this age of technology where you just are seeing the numbers just don't lie [1:26:47] people are more disconnected they're more isolated and the sense of community that that um that can [1:26:53] bring people together is is being lost and i think that that sense of citizenship and the doing things [1:26:58] because government you know government is the purpose is supposed to be to secure these rights that [1:27:05] we've been given by god um and i think it's become in many ways a substitute for that community that's [1:27:12] been lost that tuxville writes about so uh senator welch um thank you very much i found the comments [1:27:19] i heard from you mr griswold very interesting and your comments as well i do want to address a few [1:27:25] questions to dr spaulding thank you so much for being here um you were in december 2020 president trump [1:27:34] appointed you among others to serve as you to serve as executive director of the 1776 commission the [1:27:42] panel's mission was to advise the president about core principles of the american founding and how to [1:27:48] protect those principles by promoting patriotic education as executive director did you author or sign [1:27:57] off on the commission's final report that was released on january 2021 i guess it as director [1:28:05] yes okay and one section of the 45 page 1776 report entitled challenges to american principal states [1:28:14] many americans labor under the illusion that slavery was somehow a uniquely american evil but the [1:28:20] unfortunate fact is that the institution of slavery has been more than the rule than the exception throughout [1:28:25] human history i mean is there some problem about being self-critical about the u.s role in slavery [1:28:34] that is demeaning to our sense of self uh no not at all i actually uh uh like the way i remember it was [1:28:42] uh you senator welcher senator durbin uh made the point that it's a fact of our history that must be [1:28:48] openly discussed i think that um i myself like you know i like to teach uh american history warts and all [1:28:56] i actually think that the best way to teach it is actually to teach it clearly [1:29:00] um uh debate it clearly uh but also teach it fully which i think also includes how the declaration [1:29:08] its principles really became the fuel the abolitionist movement um and so despite uh mr jefferson uh owning [1:29:16] slaves and writing the declaration all the things we could put into that category uh the fact is they [1:29:21] overcame it uh that's the amazing part of it so i have the fuller story but but yes there's absolutely no [1:29:29] reason why that should not be a part of what we teach and note even on this anniversary no i i [1:29:35] appreciate you saying that because i i think i admire people who when they're assessing their own [1:29:40] performance have a capacity upon reflection and with a little distance uh to be self-critical and [1:29:47] appreciate that they came up short and try to learn from it i mean is there any difference uh in a [1:29:54] person being willing to make their own personal self-assessment about their weaknesses in a [1:29:59] country being willing to have a candid conversation about where it came up short in achieving its noble [1:30:08] ideals the ones we have in the declaration uh in in general i think the answer that that is no that's [1:30:14] how uh martin luther king looked at that that that's how frederick douglas looked at it [1:30:18] um i i think the the probably the point i would make in terms of how with this national conversation [1:30:25] this particular question has been uh occurring is to make the observation that uh kind of both sides [1:30:32] of the debate if you will like to think of this in binary terms um all good all bad uh whereas i think [1:30:39] that it's a much more complicated question as you've recognized uh but i think one of things we don't we [1:30:45] rarely are capable of of of or it's hard to teach and hard to explain is how you can hold a principle [1:30:52] all men are created equal uh but understand that holding that principle does not mean you're able to [1:30:58] bring it about immediately um but somehow it's still praiseworthy to have put the principle down [1:31:05] to embedded it in the declaration in particular uh such that it could be then carried forward [1:31:11] um and and it would become that that uh that fuel if you will uh so the existence of slavery as [1:31:21] barbaric and as bad as it was um to be noted in our history uh should not overwhelm or overcome [1:31:29] or erase the fact that the the amazing fact that a bunch of men uh many of whom owned slaves including [1:31:36] jefferson uh many of whom did not uh some of whom owned slaves and then got rid of them and including [1:31:43] a few abolitionists at the continental congress the amazing thing is they began that document by by [1:31:48] saying that all men are created equal that's uh that's i think that was uh uh looking back really [1:31:56] the death knell of slavery despite the fact that it continued to exist um the kind of congress had [1:32:02] already abolished the slave trade uh many states uh including your own and a lot of the northern [1:32:09] states immediately started moving towards abolition um some slower than others um and then our history [1:32:16] is kind of the the the tragic but also successful tale uh noble tale of how that played out uh well [1:32:24] thank you very much for that because i share that i think there's an aspiration and that aspiration was [1:32:31] laid out in an eloquent way in the in the declaration uh and each generation has the challenge to make [1:32:39] us a more equal society a more perfect union you know uh mr griswold i really appreciated your focus on [1:32:48] the effort for us and the bit the benefit to each of us when our life is about purpose and helping others [1:32:57] in doing something beyond ourselves but this is where i disagree with the chairman i i just don't [1:33:05] see when there's a debate about say the origins of slavery or how it came to be or what uh are the [1:33:15] challenges we face that that is goes into self-hate that that it it really reflects to me self-confidence [1:33:23] about facing um the historical reality that uh is part of our tradition is that uh in conflict with [1:33:32] your point of view no sir i don't think so i think i i agree with my fellow witness that it's important to [1:33:41] take an honest look at our whole history i take a lot of guidance from uh the philosopher richard [1:33:48] rorty's work where he found insights in uh psychological uh research and we've learned [1:33:56] that it is not possible to hate yourself into self-improvement when you recognize that there's [1:34:02] something wrong in your life or something wrong in your habits or behavior uh it's not possible to [1:34:08] self-loathe your way to better i agree and that and that was his analogy it wasn't suggesting that there [1:34:14] shouldn't be some self-assessment no certainly not and and my only point sir was that i appreciate [1:34:21] richard rorty's point that nations are like people and that right self uh self-respect and patriotism is [1:34:29] the precondition of self-improvement right thank you you know the other part of this that is disturbing [1:34:35] to me that you heard me express in the opening statement was turning this into a mercantile event [1:34:41] particularly when uh there's some uh personal benefit uh from uh the various activities around [1:34:50] 250. i mean where does it fit uh let me ask you uh first mr spaulding my understanding is the goal [1:35:05] your commission had was to have a celebration that was owned by each and every one of us who is a [1:35:13] beneficiary of the american tradition as opposed to it being a tribute to an individual am i can you [1:35:19] just answer that and elaborate uh no in general the the 1776 report really is a a marker there intended [1:35:29] to be others the first of a series of arguments uh intended to put at the very center of whatever we [1:35:36] were doing because it hadn't really been planned uh yet whatever it was going to be was ultimately going [1:35:42] to be having educational content uh and civic content um uh and it was really what about that [1:35:50] report focused on civic identity civic education in a very powerful way as it's uh the intent of that [1:35:56] anniversary appropriate for marking the 20th anniversary of of this great document this great country thank [1:36:02] you very much uh and now i'd like to thank you mr chairman um dr spaulding good to see you mr a little [1:36:14] known fact senator welch i am a former intern for dr spaulding many many years ago you can blame him [1:36:22] for many things you know no i i i i've been searching for the reason why every once in a while i think [1:36:27] you're pretty smart oh there you go there you go but can i just ask you you've written so many books [1:36:34] that have that have emphasized that have excavated the shared principles of which the country was founded [1:36:39] uh that have tried to make those available unpack those for the country and this is an especially [1:36:46] important year for that but could you talk just a little bit i know you're passionate about education [1:36:50] can you talk about the importance of education teaching those propounding those principles to the [1:36:56] next generation it seems that this is an area where frankly we have a lot of work to do in this [1:37:00] country and where many of our institutions of higher education in particular have really let us down [1:37:04] uh you're involved in this right now at your current institution at hillsdale but can you talk about [1:37:09] the importance of that and the work that you think we have to do in this area uh thank you senator for [1:37:14] that uh excellent question great topic i can try to give a a refocused answer to that uh i've been [1:37:22] teaching this for a long time and um uh the one thing i have come to realize is that you know uh the [1:37:28] way we teach at various appropriate age levels is crucial um uh i'll point it uh explain it this way [1:37:36] noel webster the great educational thinker at the time of the founding wrote essentially about how [1:37:40] american education we focused on you know reading writing and arithmetic but a republican government [1:37:45] a government in which self-governing citizens will rule has an additional obligation to form them as [1:37:52] citizens uh but he also observed which i think is is very well very correct uh how you form them [1:37:59] depends on the age uh you know we we're having a very hot i think very serious uh intellectual debate [1:38:07] at the university level about what america means and and uh various ideas we're talking about here which [1:38:14] i and i happily engage in and defend uh that history uh but i think it's important we don't miss that [1:38:22] how you form younger students uh by which i include those at home when they're small children in their [1:38:29] local schools elementary and through k k through 12 and high school that's really where the important [1:38:36] work of civic education occurs i was in middle school in 1976 i remember that very very fondly and and [1:38:45] and distinctly um and i was going to high school as we approached the bicentennial of the constitution [1:38:51] uh that's where you learn the the most important things i think one thing we've we've sometimes [1:38:57] done is made civic education too shall i say technical there are certain things you need to [1:39:03] learn as a formality separation of powers the important role of the legislative branch [1:39:07] um a proper understanding of executive powers uh that that is all true uh but prior to that in many [1:39:14] ways you need to teach young people a basic narrative a story uh a history in in a very general way um this [1:39:23] that is not focused on taking one side or another in an academic higher education debate but giving them [1:39:29] the the grounding they need to build an understanding and appreciation and yes a patriotic uh understanding [1:39:36] of their country uh toqueville as i mentioned earlier the democracy in america [1:39:42] one thing toqueville does talk about is this concept of of patriotism and he was struck by how it was [1:39:47] different in america as opposed to say as opposed to france uh and he observed that patriots begins [1:39:57] in a very local way it uh you know starts out as as a sense of instinctive patriotism [1:40:03] our family our uncle who fought in a war our community our home state um but in a in a republic again [1:40:11] it has to ultimately become reflective uh and there's there's this educational additional aspect to [1:40:17] it that even toqueville saw when he was traveling here so i think the importance of that despite all [1:40:24] the the academic debate which will continue um and what those many universities are doing which i think [1:40:29] are abandoning much of that i think in the midst of all that we shouldn't forget the importance of that [1:40:35] deeper sense of of of um civic patriotic education and i think to go back to senator welch's point [1:40:43] this is the opportunity to do that we have a moment a window uh right now and for the next 11 years as [1:40:50] we approach the 25th anniversary of the constitution we have a window into a lot of young people's hearts [1:40:56] and minds to learn something about their country and i think we have an obligation and that congress [1:41:01] and the institutions of our government have an obligation because they are teachers as well [1:41:06] uh to to recover that as best they can and to lead us in that direction well i want to thank you for [1:41:12] making that a priority of of of your career and for doing it now for so many americans and i want to [1:41:17] thank you on a personal note for doing it for me so many years ago now thank you mr chairman thank you [1:41:25] mr chairman um you know next week as this committee has been talking about and we're talking about [1:41:32] increasingly around the capital and around the country americans will be coming together to [1:41:38] celebrate not just independence day but the united states of america's 250th birthday this is an exciting [1:41:46] time and it should serve as a moment of a reflection on the totality of our nation's authentic history [1:41:56] not just the good but the good the not so good alike to truly appreciate the promise [1:42:02] of our nation and the promise of our nation's future but sadly and this isn't shocking and [1:42:08] it's certainly not partisan i'm about to say just factual there are people like president trump [1:42:13] especially president trump who want to rewrite our history by ignoring parts that we ought to be [1:42:18] learning from the most now this subcommittee hearing is yet another attempt to gloss over our [1:42:25] past even as we approach this historic milestone as mr white house testified congress created the [1:42:32] non-partisan u.s semi-quincentennial commission back in 2016 to oversee the commemoration of the 250th [1:42:41] anniversary of the adoption of the declaration of independence congress had that foresight it's going [1:42:47] to take time to get this right 10 years of planning and preparation i was honored to ask to serve alongside [1:42:59] my colleagues senators capito murkowski and shaheen as one of america 250 commission's eight bipartisan [1:43:07] congressional commissioners but as he can't help himself but do especially with things that don't [1:43:15] involve him don't praise him don't highlight him president trump couldn't help but try making america's [1:43:21] 250th birthday all about himself right around this time last year we saw [1:43:27] him start to hijack and politicize america 250 events including the kickoff celebration at the [1:43:33] iowa state fairgrounds on july 3rd a year ago the president used that event meant to launch [1:43:41] the year-long countdown to air his personal grievances promote his political agenda and rant [1:43:49] about his hatred of democrats don't just take my word for it roll the tape and at the time since the [1:43:55] president has created a whole new entity called freedom 250 confusing to some to funnel money from [1:44:07] taxpayers and donors to pay for his pet projects and events projects like the ufc fight on the south [1:44:14] lawn of the white house which happened to be on his birthday his quote salute to america concert which [1:44:21] turned into a trump rally instead after musicians refused to perform at a partisan event and the upcoming [1:44:30] great american state fair on the national mall which isn't going to even include all 50 states [1:44:35] as participants none of these are official events organized by america 250 commission the commission [1:44:42] has received modest annual appropriations and done its best to raise private money in spite of all this [1:44:49] drama but congress and the public deserve answers about how much taxpayer money has been spent on all the [1:44:57] freedom 250 vanity projects that the president has directed they deserve to know which donors have [1:45:04] supported those efforts let alone what requests might have been made alongside those contributions how [1:45:11] much of this has been pay to play or quid pro quo when it comes to america 250 the transparency is [1:45:17] absolutely there but not when it comes to freedom 250 and in the face of all this the president has done a [1:45:26] hell of a job trying to undermine the work of america 250 but i'm proud of the resilience of america 250 [1:45:33] under the leadership of chair rosie rios and a bipartisan board and staying true to its mission [1:45:39] the mission that was unanimously adopted by america 250 in march of 2024 that mission is quote to [1:45:48] inspire our fellow americans to reflect on our past strengthen our love of country and renew our [1:45:55] commitment to the ideals of democracy through programs that educate engage and unite us as a [1:46:04] nation that includes commission approved programs like america's fuel trip where students from across [1:46:10] the country share their perspectives on what america means to them and where they get a chance to earn a [1:46:17] field trip to some of the nation's most iconic historic and cultural landmarks that's true inspiration to [1:46:25] celebrate the fourth of july there will be an all-american non-partisan unifying celebration from coast to [1:46:32] coast beginning with a ball drop in new york city's times square and concluding three time zones over my [1:46:40] home state of california at america's block party in the los angeles coliseum which will be hosting the [1:46:48] olympics in two years america's olympics with proceeds benefiting feeding america that is the true [1:46:57] spirit of what the celebration was supposed to be about that's the kind of uplifting and unifying [1:47:03] celebration that we all need so mr chairman the questions and concerns that i've had have been raised by [1:47:11] other members prior uh in this committee but i had to go on record uh to uh uplift the work the [1:47:19] commitment of the america 250 effort thank you very much thank you senator senator welch thank you uh [1:47:29] mr chairman i wanted to ask you mr whitehouse it there was a separate entity that was created [1:47:37] um in freedom 250 is great has received over 100 million dollars in taxpayer dollars for the country's [1:47:43] 250 anniversary uh there isn't apparently much oversight can you just give your reaction to why [1:47:51] this is a bad idea to have this separate entity yes um i think the discussion we're having today about [1:48:00] um shared civic values uh is relevant here uh one thing i have noticed in my travels throughout the world [1:48:07] is how uh transparent american government is about how much oversight there is of the executive [1:48:15] branch and about how little corruption there is compared to most of the world and so as we think [1:48:21] about our civic values now we not only need to look backwards but we need to look forwards and understand [1:48:26] the moment we're in and what's happening is through freedom 250 and all the other things happening in our [1:48:34] government we're moving to a government that's not transparent it's not accountable it's using taxpayer funds and [1:48:41] resources to for partisan purposes and to support a particular political person or people and it's [1:48:48] pay-to-play politics and so we need accountability we need transparency we need guard rails and we need [1:48:55] oversight when organizations like freedom 250 are created and thank you very much and just on this [1:49:03] question of a celebration of our and i emphasize our 250th uh anniversary uh how does it reflect on the [1:49:14] capacity of everyone to share in that celebration if much of the celebration is focused on one individual [1:49:22] in this case of course president trump uh can you describe your reaction to that and how it affects our [1:49:29] ability as a country to really enjoy this in a shared way yes i i think you know as the other speakers [1:49:36] dr spaulding and dr griswold and and chairman schmidt and um and senator welsh and others as you have [1:49:43] mentioned you know this should be a communal celebration this should be a celebration of shared [1:49:49] civic values and understanding our history and looking forward to the future and it's it's um it's sad that [1:49:56] is uh sort of come out this way into a spectacle for a political person okay and it's kind of what [1:50:02] our thought sorry our founding fathers warned against right thank you very much mr chairman [1:50:07] thank you for the second round here and i yield back thank you um i just had a couple of questions um [1:50:12] dr spaulding i want to ask you um how how difficult is it we talked about this common creed and this [1:50:20] this unity that we want to renew or maintain how difficult is that if if the founding creed [1:50:27] uh which aspires as you know the sort of bold declaration of of dignity uh is is taught to [1:50:32] be a mask for oppression how difficult is to sustain what we're talking about if that's what is being [1:50:38] taught uh it's it's it's it's very difficult i think the um the only way to teach it which actually [1:50:45] like uh everybody on all senators here have kind of embraced that approach is to teach it in a [1:50:51] comprehensive way uh what i object to on on kind of both sides of that debate what i would call the [1:50:57] extremes of it is uh on the one hand whitewashing history and and being so selective that you're not [1:51:04] teaching any of the other aspects of history um including the question of slavery let us say [1:51:11] on the other hand i think uh the the it's also extremely problematic and i think we're seeing more [1:51:15] of this right now at least in the at the university level and then it's percolating down through various [1:51:21] curriculums is to emphasize the um uh the bad parts of american history almost to the exclusion in some [1:51:30] cases which unfortunately some to conclude that america is actually not worth celebrating uh and it [1:51:36] really becomes a more of an academic discussion about the the the questions in this case more recently uh the [1:51:43] question of slavery um that's problematic uh in order to to maintain this creed uh or the the broad [1:51:53] set of principles we've been talking about here uh there are certain baseline things that have to be [1:51:59] taught uh the idea of human equality uh the consent of the government the rule of law our most fundamental [1:52:06] of uh rights what they are um and then we introduce in a way that's age appropriate which for smart kids [1:52:14] is pretty early but in a way that's appropriate for them to come learn about all the other things as [1:52:19] well such as slavery um this is why i've always encouraged you know governors and states uh to be very [1:52:27] involved in writing curriculum uh which is their their their constitutional uh power and authority uh to shape [1:52:34] it so that it's it's appropriate to form citizens uh you know the the um i think too often um probably [1:52:42] see both on the left and the right uh is what is in history called the problem of presentism uh there's [1:52:48] a current debate which we want to engage in in this case today it's uh racism or um and we look [1:52:55] backwards into history to find ways to fight that debate uh the current debate overwhelms the past uh that's [1:53:04] not a that that's a very problematic way to approach teaching these things um i for the when when this [1:53:11] debate first came out i thought it was a debate about history it really isn't it's a current debate about [1:53:15] uh opinions about america in current politics um we've got a better way of teaching good history [1:53:23] warts and all uh but in a way that allows them to see through uh those warts to also see the great [1:53:30] things they did accomplish uh the tragedies the flaws but also the great accomplishments [1:53:35] and the noble things that they did only then can you see that history and come to appreciate and [1:53:41] indeed love a country that despite its flaws we are imperfect people because we are imperfect and [1:53:48] flawed human beings despite that the country is so worthy of our affection what makes it worthy are [1:53:54] those ideas those principles that are uh men and women throughout history all the ones you mentioned [1:54:01] uh moving westward and building this nation they all were dedicating themselves to many died for [1:54:08] um they've got to come to appreciate that because there's no sense having a civic identity if that [1:54:14] civic identity is work is is meaningless it's worth nothing it's not worth fighting for [1:54:19] uh it's not worth teaching your own children um and so i think how we teach it and how we talk about [1:54:26] it and how we uh present it uh is extremely important and probably the most difficult uh thing we face [1:54:33] because if if the american people come to believe that um uh uh well america does have the thing called [1:54:39] the declaration but they were a bunch of hypocrites because of slavery so the declaration [1:54:43] itself doesn't matter and it's actually not even worth teaching because they didn't mean it [1:54:48] and it was merely an 18th century document of no import today uh then we've lost the cause and uh at [1:54:55] that point you you always come as we come different tribes and ethnicities and break into smaller groups [1:55:00] and you look you lose that great um identity which i would suggest historically um on the left and the [1:55:08] right i mean my constitutional law professor was a great leonard levy a man a great man of the left [1:55:13] um that was the consensus view that was the old liberal consensus view um and and the possibility [1:55:20] of losing that i think is a death knell to our to our country thank you um mr whitehouse i have to ask [1:55:29] you because you've spent much of 2026 suing uh freedom 250 um uh and we there's been a lot of talk [1:55:37] about some of the events that have been held and i want to show some images actually uh my friend used [1:55:42] them as a negative i'm gonna i'm gonna i'm gonna have a different perspective here as we celebrate [1:55:49] americativity is that something that makes you feel patriotic this is of course the other night [1:55:56] yeah i was gonna say i wasn't sure what what that what that was yeah it's from the other night before [1:56:01] the ufc event uh that's the national mall there's a rainbow i mean for all the money that has been [1:56:08] spent on america you couldn't pay for that kind of lightning strike at the same time there's a rainbow [1:56:13] on our nation does that i mean does that make you feel patriotic it's it's a beautiful picture but [1:56:20] we're not evaluating what um different events are being held we were suing no i know i'm just asking [1:56:26] your i'm just asking your personal opinion now not the organization that sued to make sure these [1:56:30] events would never take place uh it doesn't leave me feeling patriotic or non-patriotic it's a [1:56:36] beautiful picture i didn't know what it was but i love the washington monument okay what about this [1:56:41] one uh it's a beautiful picture it looks like the ufc fight but again our issue there is with [1:56:50] transparency not patriotism okay we're not questioning anyone's patriotism well we're [1:56:57] holding events to celebrate what about that now this looks like ai to me but it's not it actually [1:57:01] happened this image of the blue angels flying over the white house with americans who like ufc fighting [1:57:09] i know that there are some people in the pearl clutching that goes on people don't like it but a [1:57:13] lot of people like it i mean this cap and this is we're celebrating our freedom the ability to do [1:57:17] these sorts of things do you think that this is patriotic again it's not a question of whether it's [1:57:23] patriotic or not our concerns is that when taxpayer monies are being used that they're transparent [1:57:28] about how they're being used okay i'm glad i'm glad you brought that up i'm glad you brought that up so [1:57:32] let's go to the last one um speaking of america 250 now the organization you defend here's what they [1:57:38] have in their store okay taxpayer dollars this is the merchandise i mean is it too much honestly in [1:57:48] america 250 just to have the american flag i mean this is a mexican flag this is this is america 250 [1:57:56] this is the organization that you're defending when you try to sue uh freedom 250 out of out of [1:58:02] existence so they can't have those events with the images that we just saw but rather sell these kinds [1:58:07] of t-shirts does that make you feel patriotic i've never seen that that t-shirt we have an american flag [1:58:13] in our house well good i'm glad uh sadly 26 percent of democrats will are willing to to fly the american flag [1:58:23] this fourth of july um the number of democrats and i hate saying this uh that feel that they're proud [1:58:33] or very proud of their country is 31 compared to 90 percent of republicans i would argue that we've got [1:58:42] a serious problem and it starts with some of the education and why we had the hearing here today to [1:58:46] celebrate what this country's about instead of the lies that have been pushed on young people for now [1:58:50] over one generation so i want to thank all of you for being here thank you for your time i know it's not [1:58:55] easy uh to carve out the time where is the there sorry um written questions for the record can be [1:59:04] submitted until wednesday july 1st at 5 p.m we ask the witnesses to submit their responses within two [1:59:09] weeks so by wednesday july 15th at 5 p.m i want to thank you for your testimony the hearing is adjourned [1:59:15] happy july 4th [1:59:25] you