Senate Unanimously Passed a $50M Grant Bill for the Roosevelt Library
The Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library Act cleared the U.S. Senate by unanimous consent and is now pending in the House. Authored by North Dakota Sen. John Hoeven, the bill would authorize up to $50 million in federal grants administered by the Interior Department to acquire and preserve artifacts related to Theodore Roosevelt’s life.
The bill also designates the Medora, North Dakota library as an official statutory repository for Roosevelt artifacts. That designation, according to Robbie Lauf, the library’s executive director, matters as much as the money.
“It is a big deal for us to be able to collect the globally significant heritage items and, without that kind of stamp of approval, it’s more difficult.”
Robbie Lauf, Executive Director, Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library
Federal Grants Require $100 Million in Private Fundraising First
The bill includes a matching requirement: the library’s foundation must raise $100 million in private funding before any federal grants become accessible. Lauf confirmed the library met that threshold ahead of its public opening in summer 2025.
The federal grants are restricted to acquisition, preservation, and construction costs. They cannot be used for day-to-day operations or maintenance. Hoeven said the bill follows the same legislative template used to fund the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield, Illinois.
$50 million in federal grants authorized for artifact acquisition and construction, contingent on $100M private match already secured
The Interior Department would administer the grants. The bill does not create a new federal agency or structure; it channels funds through an existing department with a defined purpose and a private-sector trigger.
A Federal Designation With Long-Term Collection Implications
The statutory designation is not symbolic. Under federal law, being named a formal repository gives the library standing to request, acquire, and hold artifacts that might otherwise go to the Smithsonian or remain in private collections. Without it, Lauf said, pursuing globally significant Roosevelt materials becomes measurably harder.
In 2020, Hoeven backed separate legislation allowing the library’s foundation to purchase 93 acres in Billings County from the U.S. Forest Service. The foundation acquired that land in 2022. The current bill is the next step in a multi-year federal commitment to the site.
Hoeven expressed confidence the House would pass the bill, though it had not yet been signed into law when the library opened to the public.
What You Can Do Now
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Contact your U.S. House representative at (202) 225-3121 and ask them to support the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library Act. Tell them the Senate passed it unanimously and the $100 million private match is already secured.
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If you live in North Dakota, call Rep. Julie Federspacher’s office directly and ask for a timeline on the House vote. Find contact info at house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative.
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Track the bill’s status at congress.gov by searching “Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library Act” to see if it has moved out of committee.
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Contact the House Committee on Natural Resources at (202) 225-2761, which oversees Interior Department grant programs, and ask that the bill be scheduled for a floor vote.
Sources
North Dakota Monitor: Bill Makes Presidential Library Official Home for Theodore Roosevelt Artifacts
Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library: About the Library and Its Mission
Congress.gov: Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library Act as Legislative Precedent
U.S. Forest Service: Billings County Land Transfer Authorization, 2020