An aerial view shows the Obama Presidential Center under construction in Chicago’s Jackson Park, where the privately operated campus is being built on public parkland. Illinois Republicans blast Obama Presidential Library's 'anti-racism' hiring requirements as divisive, arguing the project advances political agenda. (Fox 32 Chicago)
"The Obama Center is no different. It is a recipient of taxpayer funds built on public lands and flouts ‘anti-racism’ hiring goals," Salvi said. "But such employment practices sound discriminatory and unmoored from any assessment of merit."
The Obama Foundation secured control of a 19.3-acre section of Jackson Park — often described as Chicago’s equivalent of Central Park — under a 99-year agreement for just $10, after city officials approved the project under the premise that the center would function as a civic institution serving the public interest.
Opponents argued the land transfer violated the public trust doctrine, a legal principle requiring public land to serve a public purpose, and filed multiple lawsuits seeking to halt construction. The courts ultimately allowed the project to proceed without adjudicating the merits of those claims.
While commonly referred to as a presidential "library," the Obama Presidential Center is not operated by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) and does not function as a traditional presidential library.
Instead, it is run entirely by the Obama Foundation, the former president’s private nonprofit organization, which also oversees leadership and civic programs reflecting the values and priorities of former President Barack Obama.
The foundation will operate from the center and oversee a 225-foot-tall museum, conference facilities, a gymnasium and a regulation-sized NBA court. There will also be a digital library, although it will not house original presidential records in the same manner as NARA-run libraries.
Construction costs for the site have ballooned from an original estimate of $330 million to at least $850 million, and the project has also relied on publicly funded infrastructure work surrounding the site.
Exterior view of the Obama Presidential Center tower under construction in Chicago. (Fox 32 Chicago)
Critics like Salvi have also pointed to the project’s long-standing emphasis on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives as evidence that ideological priorities were embedded into the center from its inception.
Those initiatives have already given rise to real-world legal and financial disputes.
As Fox News Digital previously reported, a Black-owned construction subcontractor filed a $40 million discrimination lawsuit tied to the project, alleging racially discriminatory treatment by an engineering firm involved in construction. The engineering firm has argued that diversity-driven contracting decisions resulted in less qualified subcontractors being selected, contributing to inferior workmanship, delays and cost overruns.
WATCH: The Brian Kilmeade Show: Obama Presidential Center rocked by $40M racial bias lawsuit
"The Illinois Republican Party stands with President Trump and the Justice Department to end the tyranny of DEI and woke, performative politics plaguing the federal government, our military and the private sector," Salvi said.
"As the Trump Administration investigates such employment practices at-large, we will continue to demand accountability and fairness from civic and educational sites like the Obama Center claims to be."
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The Obama Foundation responded to criticism of its hiring language by pointing to its stated values.
"Our values remain the same as the day we began; we will continue to actively work to combat racism as we strive to build a more perfect union," Emily Bittner, the foundation’s vice president of communications, said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
Supporters of the project have said the Obama Presidential Center will serve as a cultural and educational anchor on Chicago’s South Side and reflect the values and legacy of former President Obama.
Michael Dorgan is a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business.
You can send tips to michael.dorgan@fox.com and follow him on Twitter @M_Dorgan.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/obama-presidential-center-slammed-for-promoting-far-left-agenda-on-public-land