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Rep. Ogles Pushes Study to Add Trump to Mount Rushmore After House OKs Budget Bill

Ogles linked the budget reconciliation victory with a formal review on whether Mount Rushmore can safely accommodate a carving of the president’s likeness

A mock-up depicting President Trump on Mount Rushmore released by GOP Representative Andy Ogles.
Representative-elect Andy Ogles, a Republican from Tennessee, holds the number one pick coin during the biennial office lottery on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, US, on Friday, Dec. 2, 2022. New members compete for space in the House's office buildings with the luckiest getting their pick of larger offices or space closer to the main Capitol building, while other members and their staff will be relegated to less-desirable locations for the next two years. Photographer: Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Overview

  • The House approved the One Big Beautiful Bill 218-214 on July 3, enacting tax cuts, border security funding, tip and overtime tax relief, and ICE appropriations
  • Immediately after the vote, Rep. Andy Ogles sent a letter to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum urging a feasibility study on carving President Trump’s likeness into the monument
  • He called for the study to evaluate technical stability, legal authority and cultural impact while soliciting public and expert input
  • National Park Service officials and RESPEC engineers maintain that no suitable granite remains for additional figures and warn new work could destabilize the existing sculptures
  • The Interior Department is reviewing Ogles’s request as part of broader GOP efforts, including a proposed third-term amendment, to solidify Trump’s legacy