Which organization, established in 2016, leads the congressional America250 effort?

The United States Semiquincentennial Commission, established in 2016, leads the congressional America250 effort.

Congress created the commission to plan and promote observances of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. America250 is the public-facing name commonly associated with the commission and its national programming.

The commission is distinct from the Second Continental Congress, which met in 1776, and from the White House Task Force on Celebrating America’s 250th Birthday, established later by executive action. Those bodies belong to different periods and have different institutional origins.

The commission’s work fits into a longer tradition of federally supported anniversary planning. The United States organized major national observances for the centennial in 1876 and the bicentennial in 1976. The 2026 effort similarly connects historical commemoration with educational, civic, and cultural programs.