Taxpayers May Be Stuck for Millions in Obama Center Construction Fees
Chicago Contrarian | June 17, 2026 | Warner Todd Huston
FR Posted on 6/18/2026 by texas booster
Cost to taxpayers for Obama Center keep piling up. Illinois taxpayers may be on the hook for millions in unpaid contractor fees for the Obama Presidential Center as the foundation’s promised $420 million “safety net” fund to prevent a taxpayer bailout has yet to materialize and many black-owned contractors are being left unpaid.
Meanwhile, multiple contractors are now saying that the Obama Center hasn’t paid them for millions of dollars for their work. And some are wondering if taxpayers will be forced to pay up, according to Fox News. Some of these subcontractors say they are locked in payment disputes and if they aren’t paid, they face closing their businesses.
The City of Chicago approved the Obama Center under the requirement the foundation would raise a $470 million backup fund to pay for expenses that slipped under the radar so taxpayers would not have to pony. The fund is part of the 99-year deal to use the 19.3-acre Jackson Park in exchange for a token payment of $10. But so far, that $470 million fund has only been bankrolled to the tune of a mere $1 million.
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Taxpayers are only “on the hook” if they care the 0bama prison stays open.