Planning for America's 250th Anniversary Celebrations
The United States prepares for its 250th anniversary amid challenges posed by extreme weather and political divisions. Efforts to create a unifying celebration are underway. (sources: aljazeera, cbsnews, nytimes)
Extreme heat may impact Fourth of July celebrations across the country as the nation approaches its 250th anniversary. Efforts to create a unifying dessert for the occasion are being led by an individual navigating political challenges.
- Extreme heat is expected to affect Fourth of July celebrations from Washington to Los Angeles.
- An individual is working on a dessert to symbolize unity for the 250th anniversary.
Why it matters
The anniversary celebrations aim to foster a sense of unity in a polarized environment.
↓ Congress can act on this
6 bills on this issue are moving right now — and the most active one is HR5089: Weather Act Reauthorization Act of 2025.
HR5089 · 119th Congress
Weather Act Reauthorization Act of 2025
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About this bill
What HR5089 actually does
This story is about Making a Cake for America's 250th Birthday. This bill would reauthorize and update NOAA weather research and forecasting authorities.
If passed, it would:
- reauthorize and update NOAA weather research and forecasting authorities • support improvements in forecasting and prediction that local officials use for public-event planning.
5 other bills moving on this issue
Take action on any of them individually.
This story is about Making a Cake for America's 250th Birthday. This bill would require OSHA to issue a heat-illness prevention standard for workers.
If passed, it would
- require OSHA to issue a heat-illness prevention standard for workers • create more uniform national heat-protection rules for outdoor and indoor workplaces.
This story is about Making a Cake for America's 250th Birthday. This bill would make community cooling centers and some heat-mitigation projects easier to support through FEMA programs.
If passed, it would
- make community cooling centers and some heat-mitigation projects easier to support through FEMA programs • require FEMA guidance on heat waves and studies/reports on extreme heat response.
This story is about Making a Cake for America's 250th Birthday. This bill would let FEMA provide direct assistance for mitigation and management of an extreme heat event.
If passed, it would
- let FEMA provide direct assistance for mitigation and management of an extreme heat event • require FEMA, NOAA, and CDC to set a threshold for qualifying extreme-heat events.
This story is about Making a Cake for America's 250th Birthday. This bill would add extreme heat to the Stafford Act major-disaster definition.
If passed, it would
- add extreme heat to the Stafford Act major-disaster definition • make federal disaster tools more available when heat events overwhelm local capacity.
This story is about Making a Cake for America's 250th Birthday. This bill would establish the National Integrated Heat Health Information System within NOAA.
If passed, it would
- establish the National Integrated Heat Health Information System within NOAA • formalize an interagency structure for extreme-heat preparedness, planning, and response.