Which organization was created by Congress in 2016 to plan America’s 250th-anniversary celebrations?

Congress created the United States Semiquincentennial Commission in 2016 to plan America’s 250th-anniversary celebrations.

The commission is a bipartisan, congressional organization associated with the America250 initiative. Its work includes coordinating commemorative programs, encouraging participation by states and communities, and helping establish a nationwide framework for the 2026 observance.

The commission’s name describes the anniversary it was formed to commemorate: 250 years since the Declaration of Independence. “America250” is the public-facing name most often seen in promotional materials, while the commission’s formal name identifies its congressional role.

The organization is separate from earlier bodies created for the 1976 bicentennial and the 1876 centennial. Those earlier commissions organized celebrations for different anniversaries and operated in different historical circumstances.