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White House Sets 2029 Target for Trump’s Statue Garden

Funding for 250 life-size statues is in place under an aggressive grant schedule with site selection and logistics still unresolved

Men work on the face of Jefferson at Mount Rushmore in South Dakota, during the 1940s.
Image
This illustrative site plan by Storyland Studios provided by the South Dakota Governor's Office shows a mockup of the National Garden of American Heroes.

Overview

  • Congress approved $40 million for the NEH statue program, with funds available through fiscal 2028 to procure life-size figures
  • An April NEH grant notice requires 250 marble, granite, bronze, copper or brass statues to be designed, sculpted and delivered by June 1, 2026
  • White House spokesman Davis Ingle confirmed an informal goal to complete the garden by the end of President Trump’s second term, potentially extending the timeline to 2029
  • The garden’s site remains undecided, complicating plans for installation and raising questions about regional opposition and environmental suitability
  • NEH restructured its operations this spring—cutting other grants and two-thirds of its staff—to prioritize fulfilling the statue-making competition