The Trump administration announced this week an opportunity for American artists to create sculptures of historical figures like George Washington, Patrick Henry, Davy Crockett, and other American heroes in celebration of the nation’s 250th birthday.

The National Endowment for the Humanities announced on Thursday that it would be handing out grants for artists to sculpt one of the 250 American historical figures identified by the Trump administration for placement in a new National Garden of American Heroes.

“The garden will provide the public with an opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of how the lives and accomplishments of these individuals have shaped our history and culture,”Acting National Endowment for Humanities Chairman Michael McDonald said.

Artists, who must be American citizens, can be awarded up to three grants each of $200,000 for a total of $600,000. The statues will be life-size and made with marble, granite, bronze, copper, or brass.

The National Endowment for the Humanities will be partnering with the National Endowment for the Arts to spend $34 million on the project.

“The National Garden will feature Americans who deserve honor, recognition, and lasting tribute because of the battles they won, the ideas they championed, the diseases they cured, the lives they saved, the heights they achieved, and the hope they passed down,” the notice of funding says.

The notice also says that the garden will be a spot for visitors to learn about American history.

“It will also be a place where Americans can gather to learn about and celebrate America and the icons who made America what it is today. Visitors to the park will learn the stories of some of the greatest Americans,” the notice says.

A specific location for the garden has not yet been determined. Trump first proposed the plan in 2020, but it was later cancelled by former President Joe Biden.

The list of figures to be honored includes a wide variety of people, such as President John Adams, Civil War nurse Clara Barton, inventors Orville and Wilbur Wright, World War II General Douglas MacArthur, astronaut Neil Armstrong, Civil War soldier Joshua Chamberlain, Pilgrim leader William Bradford, country music artist Johnny Cash, anti-slavery activist Frederick Douglas, founding firebrand Patrick Henry, World War I hero Alvin York, and many others.

Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer warned states on Friday that if they allow illegal immigrants to collect unemployment benefits, they could lose federal funding.

Chavez-DeRemer sent a letter to all governors, telling them to comply with President Donald Trump’s directives to make sure illegals are not getting American tax dollars and illegal immigration is not incentivized.

“Our nation’s unemployment benefits exist solely for workers who are eligible to receive them,” the secretary wrote. “To qualify for unemployment, one must be able and available to work, actively seeking work, and be legally authorized to accept employment in the United States. Unemployment benefits are not a handout for those in our country illegally.”

Chavez-DeRemer specifically cited Trump’s “Preventing Illegal Aliens from Obtaining Social Security Act Benefits” memorandum and Executive Order 14218, “Ending Taxpayer Subsidization of Open Borders.”

The letter notes that Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem recently informed states that they are allowed to use the DHS immigration database known as SAVE. The system “helps verify the immigration status of benefit claimants and is a critical tool in the toolbox in ensuring that illegal immigrants do not access our nation’s unemployment benefits,” Chavez-DeRemer said.

“I instructed the Employment and Training Administration (ETA) to send a letter to all State Unemployment Insurance Administrators urging them to immediately start using SAVE for every initial and continued claim filed by an individual who indicates that they are not a U.S. citizen,” the Labor Secretary continued.

“This letter also reminds states of their existing legal obligations regarding immigrant access to unemployment benefits and that noncompliance with these existing obligations will result in the loss of the state’s Title III UI administrative grant,” she added.

Earlier in the week, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (USDA) will crack down on illegal immigrants accessing food benefits known as food stamps or SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program).

“USDA’s nutrition programs are intended to support the most vulnerable Americans,” Rollins said, Fox News reported. “To allow those who broke our laws by entering the United States illegally to receive these benefits is outrageous.”

The Trump administration has also threatened to withhold federal funding from states that do not comply with other orders and federal law, such as Title IX rules. Maine, for example, is in a heated battle with Trump for refusing to protect girls’ sports and adhere to federal law.

Additionally, the administration has taken aim at the federal funding for specific schools, such as Harvard University. Trump froze more than $2 billion in financing for Harvard after it rejected demands to dismantle its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs and do more to curb student anti-Israel protests, The Daily Wire reported.