The United States Semiquincentennial Commission that supports America250 became law in 2016.
Congress created the commission through the United States Semiquincentennial Commission Act of 2016. The law established a bipartisan federal framework for planning observances of the nation’s 250th anniversary in 2026.
The commission’s work grew out of earlier efforts by groups such as USA250, a Philadelphia-based nonprofit founded in 2011 to promote federal support for the anniversary. The congressional commission gave the commemoration a national structure rather than leaving planning entirely to individual cities or states.
The commission is distinct from later White House initiatives created in 2025. Both may organize anniversary activities, but America250 refers especially to the congressionally authorized commission and its nationwide civic and historical programming.