Success was not guaranteed; in fact, it was a long shot. The colonies defeated the most powerful empire on earth, only to discover that winning independence was easier than governing themselves. The first attempt in a “Confederation” failed. The Constitutional Convention, called to fix that failure, brought together men we still revere today like Madison, Franklin, and Washington.

They built a republic that, despite its flaws and its frustrations and its broken promises, endured. It survived invasion and a civil war, world wars and a great depression, and the trials of a new century—and still, it endures.

And each generation has the opportunity to continue the march toward Lincoln’s “more perfect Union.”

It often sounds trite, but it is true: freedom is not free. Whether fighting in the fields at Antietam and Gettysburg, scaling the cliffs of Normandy, securing the skies over Midway, or with a president standing in Berlin demanding that a wall of tyranny be torn down, each generation has done its part to advance the cause of liberty, making America an even brighter beacon to the world.

Our military has preserved the ideals enshrined in our founding documents, “that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

It is those ideals, enshrined two hundred fifty years ago in Philadelphia, that give every American the opportunity to build a life of their own choosing.

It’s what lets a small business owner open their doors every morning, or an entrepreneur risk everything on an idea—and succeed. It’s what lets a citizen walk into a capitol to tell their representatives exactly what they think, protest their government, worship according to their own conscience, speak their mind, and raise their family as they see fit.

As we celebrate our nation’s 250^th birthday, I hope we all take a moment to reflect on the sacrifices made by generations of Americans to secure the freedoms we enjoy today, and on the promise of what lies ahead as we strive for that “more perfect Union.”

And this weekend, as I gather with family and friends, grilling in the backyard and watching the fireworks light up the sky, I will be filled with gratitude and pride to be part of this grand experiment. Two hundred fifty years in, it endures. And with it, so does the American spirit.

Happy Birthday, America!

John Adams believed July 2 would be remembered as America's true birthday, a day to be "solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more." It was on that date in 1776 that the Continental Congress actually voted to sever ties with the Crown.

I stood in that same room on that same day, two hundred fifty years later.

I traveled with a group of fellow Republicans and Democrats to Independence Hall in Philadelphia. We walked the floors where that vote was cast, where the language of the Declaration of Independence was finalized two days later on July 4.

We viewed the National Archives' time capsule, held a ceremonial meeting of the House in Congress Hall, signed a ceremonial document inside Independence Hall itself, and closed the day at the Liberty Bell.

Standing in that room, on this date, is not something I'll ever forget.

I'm grateful for the America 250 Commission, my colleagues, Rep. Brendan Boyle, native son of Philadelphia, and Rep. GT Thompson, Dean of the Pennsylvania delegation, for all their work to make this historic day successful.

Cake artist Grace Pak, founder of Duchess of Cameron, reached out to America250 to ask who was designing the official cake for the nation's 250th birthday. To her surprise, no one was. There was no plan for a cake at all.

She took on the assignment herself. After all, what is a birthday without a cake? And for an event this big, you need a cake to match. Grace is delivering, with a cake that will be 10 feet long, 4 feet wide, and 7 feet high.

The car-sized creation will include contributions from all fifty states, with a member of Congress from each painting a representation of their home state. I was glad to serve as the painter for Arkansas.

Grace and I met in my office and used edible bronze luster dust, a food-grade metallic powder that paints on like real bronze, to bring rice stalks to life on the cake. It is an apt symbol for Arkansas, the nation's leading rice producer, and a fitting tribute to our agriculture workers and family farmers. The cake will be unveiled later today.

I walked around the Great American State Fair, which stretches from the Washington Monument to the Capitol, as we celebrate America's semiquincentennial. All fifty states and six territories have a pavilion on the Mall, and Arkansas's is excellent.

Our theme is Trailblazers, covering everything from canoeing the Buffalo River and mountain biking our trails to the Arkansas icons who broke barriers and shaped the nation, like the Little Rock Nine, Daisy Bates, and Johnny Cash. They even had Onyx Coffee out of Bentonville on hand, now a cult favorite here in Washington.

I also stopped by my bride's home state of Texas, complete with a replica of “Big Tex” from the state fairgrounds in Dallas. There are also farm animals and a rodeo, but the highlight for me was the 110-foot Ferris wheel. It gives you a panoramic view of the Mall, the Capitol on one side, the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the other.

If you're in D.C. in the coming weeks, it's worth a visit. Just bring sunscreen and water; it's hot out there.

I was back on the National Mall this past Wednesday to cheer on Team USA as they took on Bosnia and Herzegovina in the World Cup's round of thirty-two. The fair's FIFA watch party was packed, and the crowd erupted late in the second half when Malik Tillman curled a free kick past the Bosnian wall to seal the 2-nil win and send the U.S. through to the round of sixteen. It was electric.

Last week’s Trivia: Which event had the first ceremonial military flyover in American history? A) The 1918 World Series

43.5% of respondents answered correctly.

Treasury just finalized the investment lineup for Trump Accounts as funding begins.

Initial contributions will go into a default, low-cost fund tracking the broader U.S. stock market, chosen specifically to keep fees well below the legal cap.

In the coming months, families will also be able to choose from four additional low-cost index funds:

• iShares Core S&P 500 ETF (IVV)
• Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF (VTI)
• State Street SPDR Portfolio S&P 1500 Composite Stock Market ETF (SPTM)
• iShares Core S&P Total U.S. Stock Market ETF (ITOT)

These funds have been selected to provide diversified exposure across major segments of the financial markets while keeping investment costs low.

These accounts can be managed through the Trump Accounts app, available now on the Apple App Store and Google Play. If you haven't downloaded it yet, do so today so you're ready when funding begins Friday.

All kids born between January 2025 and December 2028 are eligible for a $1,000 federal contribution into a Trump Account. Millions of families have already signed up.

You can open an account by filing IRS Form 4547 through TrumpAccounts.gov, or when filing your taxes.

To learn more, click HERE or call my Little Rock office at (501) 324-5941.

My office can arrange tours of the Capitol and many other sights in Washington, D.C., on behalf of you and your family during your stay. Please note: White House tours require Real IDs or other accepted forms of ID, such as a valid passport or U.S. military ID.

If you and your loved ones are planning on visiting Washington, D.C. in the coming months, I recommend you reach out to my office to request tours as soon as possible HERE.

If you have any questions about your visit to Washington, D.C., please call my D.C. office at (202) 225-2506.