August 2, 1876 Congress appropriates $2 million in federal funds to complete the construction of the Washington Monument. The public funding is contingent upon the transfer of ownership of the monument from The Washington National Monument Society to the federal government.

The funding of the Washington Monument was a complex, multi-decade saga that began with private donations and ended with total federal intervention. Initially, the Washington National Monument Society (a private group) raised funds through public contributions starting in 1833. However, they ran out of money in 1854, leaving the monument as a stump for over 20 years. In 1876, to celebrate the centennial of the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Congress passed legislation officially taking over the project and providing the necessary federal funding to complete the structure. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, led by Lt. Col. Thomas Lincoln Casey, was tasked with finishing the job. This "federalization" of the project is the reason for the distinct color change in the stone about one-third of the way up; when the government took over, they sourced marble from a different quarry. Since then, the monument has remained a federally owned and maintained site under the jurisdiction of the National Park Service.