The Obama Presidential Center opened on Juneteenth with star power and fanfare while some subcontractors say they are still waiting on millions in payment.

The Obamas held the long-delayed Presidential Center opening on the South Side of Chicago on Juneteenth, and the ceremony brought a long list of performers and dignitaries to John Lewis Plaza. Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Wonder, Jennifer Hudson, Bono and The Edge of U2, Christina Aguilera, Eddie Vedder, John Legend, and many others performed, and a June 16 pre-opening drew Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Joe Biden, Justin Trudeau, and Kamala Harris.

Under the confetti, contractors tell a very different story: several firms say they have not been paid and face crippling financial pressure. These claims include small, often minority-owned businesses alleging unpaid invoices that range from tens of thousands of dollars to sums in the millions.

Mike Owen of Adamson Plumbing says his company is still owed nearly $4 million for work on the project, and he’s blunt about the damage that shortfall has done to his business. As reported by the New York Post, Owen summed up the situation plainly:

“That is a hole that no subcontractor, small business can survive.”

Omar Shareef, president of the African American Contractors Association, has been one of the few to speak publicly about the volume of complaints he’s heard. Shareef told Fox News he has not encountered this level of non-payment before in his career:

“I’ve never seen this happen since I’ve been in business.”

Shareef says that fear of retaliation and binding non-disclosure agreements keep many contractors silent, and that some now regret taking the work. The project was pitched as a way to boost minority contractors and revitalize the neighborhood, a promise Shareef says has not been fulfilled:

“The promise was that this project was going to uplift minority contractors and uplift the community.”

According to reports, several minority-owned subcontractors say they are facing potential bankruptcy while remaining contractually constrained from speaking freely. That tension between public celebration and private strain is driving the controversy around the opening.

The financial safeguards meant to prevent taxpayer exposure look thin on the ground. The Obama Foundation agreed to support a $470 million backup fund to cover cost overruns, but has deposited only $1 million so far, leaving the vast majority of the pledged cushion unfunded.

The center’s budget ballooned from an initial $500 million estimate at groundbreaking in September 2021 to about $850 million, a roughly $350 million increase that the backup fund was supposed to absorb. With $469 million of that pledge still missing, observers are asking who will ultimately cover these extra costs.

Valerie Jarrett, CEO of the Obama Foundation, framed the opening as a celebration of music and optimism, promising an event full of inspiration and joy:

“This Grand Opening ceremony will be unlike any other, filled with music, performances, and hope.”

Barack Obama’s prepared remarks also leaned into roots and community. A voiceover released with initial materials included his description of beginning on the South Side and the formative experiences that followed:

“Our story begins on the South Side of Chicago. For me, it was here where hope took root. It’s where I started knocking on doors, where I learned to listen and found my voice, where I fell in love with Michelle and built a family and a community and a home.”

He went on to say, “Today, we open the doors to the Obama Presidential Center, a place rooted in this community and built on a simple belief that we can come together and create the change we seek.” Those words sit alongside contractors’ claims that they remain unpaid.

Shareef acknowledged the center’s appearance but kept the conversation on unpaid labor and struggling businesses, delivering a blunt critique about the party happening while bills remain unsettled:

“The building does look nice, but the fact doesn’t matter that they’re not paying our d*** contractors.”

He also posed a pointed question aimed at the timing of the celebration: “What sense is celebrating Juneteenth if our Black contractors are not getting their money?” That question highlights the symbolic tension between public messaging and private hardship.

Years of delays and rising costs have marked this project, with the final estimate far above the original projection and no public accounting released that details where all additional funds went. Contractors say the dispute is very real and personal—these are plumbing firms, construction crews, and small businesses that physically built the center.

It remains unclear how many firms are pursuing legal remedies, filing liens, or entering arbitration, and the Foundation has not offered a detailed public response in the coverage that has followed the opening. That lack of comment has only deepened concerns among those who say they are owed money.

The contrast between a celebrity-packed launch and unpaid subcontractors is stark and raises questions about priorities and accountability. The center’s backers showed they can assemble an elite guest list and stage a global event, but less visible obligations now loom large for the people who supplied the labor and services.