Barack Obama signed the 2016 act establishing the U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission. The law was H.R. 4875, formally titled the United States Semiquincentennial Commission Act of 2016, and it became Public Law 114-196 on July 22, 2016.
The commission was created to plan, encourage, develop, and coordinate observances for the 250th anniversary of the United States and the historical events leading up to it. The law envisioned a broad membership, including members of Congress, private citizens, and nonvoting federal officials.
The anniversary being planned was July 4, 2026, the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. A common mix-up is to associate the law with presidents connected to later anniversary planning. Donald Trump’s administration later issued additional measures and oversaw preparations, but Obama was the president who signed the founding legislation in 2016. Joe Biden did not sign the original act.