The United States Semiquincentennial Commission initially had 33 members.
The original commission included 16 private citizens, eight members of Congress, and nine federal officials. Its first commissioners were sworn in at Independence Hall in Philadelphia on November 16, 2018, beginning the formal national planning process for the 2026 observance.
The number later changed because Congress amended the commission’s governing law in 2020. The amendment increased the number of nonvoting ex officio federal officials and added a member designated by the chief justice of the United States, bringing the overall membership to 36.
The initial total is easy to confuse with the 36-member structure that followed the amendment, or with the 50 states participating in nationwide America250 activities. The commission itself is a federal planning body, not a numerical representation of the states.