Burgum orders park staff to wear Freedom 250 pins

In a dispute that has landed inside the National Park Service’s day-to-day operations, employees say supervisors have told them to wear Freedom 250 pins at July 4 and other anniversary events—or face professional discipline. The guidance includes a memo from a

For several days leading up to Independence Day events, some National Park Service employees say their options narrowed to one uncomfortable choice: wear a Freedom 250 lapel pin, or be pulled into the agency’s disciplinary pipeline.

The pins promote Freedom 250. a semi-private group that President Trump has used to reshape celebrations of the nation’s 250th anniversary—something critics describe as a partisan affair built around the president. Employees who spoke with MISRYOUM said local supervisors issued the instructions verbally in recent weeks. with threats of professional reprimands if they refused.

One employee described what happened when they asked directly about consequences. “When I asked if I would receive any disciplinary action if I chose not to wear the pin, I was told, ‘Yes,’” the person said. “I chose not to continue the conversation after that.”

The pressure, employees said, appeared to arrive with the same kind of authority that comes from Washington. Several NPS employees told MISRYOUM they were receiving instructions from their supervisors at various Park Service offices. according to emails reviewed and accounts from NPS employees who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

This mandate for “Freedom” flair quickly became more than a fashion choice inside a federal agency tasked with stewarding the country’s history. Employees described it as a political signal—especially because the pins are linked to a setup critics argue exists to bypass the normal guardrails for a Congress-created anniversary planning structure.

Trump’s 250th birthday-era events have already carried the imprint of his politics. There was a massive military parade on his 79th birthday. followed by a crypto-sponsored UFC fight on the White House lawn for his 80th. The next day. Trump announced that the July 4 celebration on the National Mall—the marquee event of the 250th anniversary—would feature a “TRUMP RALLY.”.

That July 4 event is being organized by Freedom 250. Trump advisers created the group late last year. after frustration with America250. a separate organization created by Congress a decade ago to plan anniversary commemorations. America250, by law, is required to hold bipartisan events and report to a congressionally appointed commission that includes Democrats. Employees and critics say America250 was pliant enough to organize Trump’s military parade. but raised objections when Trump pushed for anniversary events that participants described as increasingly partisan and garish.

Those disputes helped set the stage for Freedom 250. A person familiar with the decision told MISRYOUM that the administration launched Freedom 250 as an alternative entity Trump could effectively control.

The result, critics say, is an anniversary campaign that can function like a political vehicle—one that can more easily double as rallies, privately raise funds from corporate interests, and avoid disclosing how much the celebrations cost U.S. taxpayers.

Within the Park Service, those concerns have met a federal workplace reality: employees say they’re being asked to wear the branding while on the job.

“Knowing the difference between the congressionally-mandated group and Trump/Project 2025’s personal, political grift-machine, the little lapel pin takes on the historical weight of a collaborator’s badge,” one NPS employee said. “Some within my division have taken to calling it the ‘Vichy Pin.’”

Critics argue the pin requirements should never have gotten off the ground at all. They contend that forcing federal employees to wear Freedom 250 branding conflicts with rules barring federal workers from engaging in partisan political activity while on the job.

Tim Whitehouse. the executive director of Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility. said. “Requiring NPS personnel. uniformed or not. to wear a pin displaying the trademarked logo of Freedom 250. LLC is unlawful. full stop.” Whitehouse added. “In addition to violating the rights of the employees. any such requirement also likely lines the pockets of Trump-affiliated vendors who supply the Freedom 250 pins. with federal funds.”.

The Freedom 250 structure, critics say, adds another layer of concern. Democrats have described the group as a dark money operation. It is a limited liability corporation operating under the National Park Foundation, a nonprofit partner of the National Park Service. Critics say Freedom 250 spends taxpayer dollars without submitting to congressional oversight.

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum oversees the Park Service and has supported Trump’s anniversary agenda. Despite recently claiming ignorance of how Freedom 250 came to operate under his department, Burgum has tasked the Park Service with supporting the group’s plans.

In January, administration officials began sidelining America250, including by redirecting funds appropriated to the group to Freedom 250 instead. At the same time, NPS instructed workers to promote the new group, exclusively.

The agency told its employees to replace “America250” references and logos displayed online with Freedom 250 insignia. An Interior Department guidance document explained, “Freedom 250 was launched by President Donald J. Trump and is the Administration’s primary branding for the celebration of America’s 250th anniversary.”.

An April 13 memo to National Park superintendents and senior agency officials from Charles Cuvelier. an NPS associate director. laid out how employees should handle the pins. Cuvelier wrote that “all non-uniformed and administrative employees” in the agency “are highly encouraged” to wear Freedom 250 pins. The memo also “authorized” uniformed NPS employees to wear the pins and instructed them on where to place them. explaining: “To maintain a professional and uniform appearance. the pin shall be worn centered and one-quarter inch above the name plate on the uniform shirt.”.

Cuvelier wrote, “Wearing the pin serves as a mark of Esprit de Corps, demonstrating our collective pride and unity as we celebrate this semi-quincentennial anniversary.”

Although the memo stopped just short of demanding the pins outright, NPS employees said many park superintendents and division chiefs verbally ordered subordinates to wear them at anniversary-related events at sites where they work. They said the orders were passed down from Washington.

Not every part of the agency appears to be operating the same way. Some NPS staffers said they have not been ordered to wear the pins.

But in other offices, employees described a clearer threat. Supervisors told workers that refusing to wear the pins would result in an official reprimand, according to three NPS employees. For federal workers, written reprimands are part of a disciplinary scale that can lead to termination.

The Interior Department press office did not directly answer whether employees are required to wear the pins. A spokesperson told MISRYOUM. “Department of the Interior employees are excited to participate in our nation’s 250th. ” adding: “It is bizarre that such a historic event celebrating our amazing country is being villainized by the liberal legacy media. but their TDS [Trump Derangement Syndrome] apparently forces them to try to divide the people of the greatest country in the world led by the greatest president in the history of our country.”.

The spokesperson also insisted on one point that was not raised in the earlier reporting: “Any insinuation that employees were tasked with buying Freedom 250 pins is categorically false. ” the spokesperson said. “These pins have been given to all Park employees free of charge to commemorate this landmark chapter in American history.”.

The spokesperson did not say what the department spent to provide the pins. Versions of Freedom 250 pins sell online for $8 to $10 each.

The NPS memo says the pins were provided by Ace Specialties. Ace Specialties is a Louisiana-based company that touts its background selling Trump-campaign merchandise. “including the iconic MAGA hat. ” and bills itself as a premier provider of apparel “for Republicans.” Ace’s CEO did not respond to questions about its business with the Park Service.

A separate NPS missive notes that agency officials can contact Ace to purchase additional Freedom 250 pins for volunteers or employees, but orders must be placed in quantities of 100 or more.

Those details leave a stark question hanging over the agency’s workforce: in a federal workplace where partisan activity is supposed to be off-limits, how much pressure is too much—and who bears the cost when anniversary branding becomes a performance requirement at the nation’s historic sites?

United States politics National Park Service Doug Burgum Freedom 250 Ace Specialties America250 Tim Whitehouse Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility Charles Cuvelier July 4 National Mall Trump rally federal employees