Why is Obama Stiffing Workers Who Built His Library?

Summary

Podcast Episode Summary

Podcast: Brian Kilmeade Show
Episode Title: Why is Obama Stiffing Workers Who Built His Library?
Date: June 19, 2026
Host: Brian Kilmeade
Featured Guest: Michael Dorgan (Fox News Digital Reporter), Commentary by Omar Sharif (President, African American Contractors Association), Dr. Aliyah Israel

---

Overview

This episode centers on the controversies surrounding the construction of the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago, particularly focusing on claims that minority contractors have been left unpaid, financial mismanagement, delays, and the community impact of the project. Brian Kilmeade explores these issues in conversation with reporter Michael Dorgan, with additional insight from local advocates. Secondary discussion touches on left-wing activist funding and potential foreign influence.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Major Unpaid Contractor Claims & Financial Turmoil

• Over $100 million reportedly owed to various contractors of the Obama Library project. Individual contractors cite unpaid amounts ranging from $100,000 to $50 million. (00:30)
• “We have over 10 contractors that are being hurt and crippled by this particular project.” — Omar Sharif, African American Contractors Association (00:30)
• Project ran massively over budget ($300 million projected; now over $850 million, likely to hit $1 billion). Four years late. (00:56, 01:21)
• Subcontractors (many minority-owned businesses) say the project environment was "totally chaotic", with "over-regulation" and changing requirements stretching a 2-year job into a 5-year ordeal. Many now face potential financial ruin. (01:35)

Fear, NDAs, and Silencing of Minority Contractors

• Many minority contractors are under non-disclosure agreements, preventing them from speaking out about unpaid bills and business collapse. (02:02, 05:05)
• “A lot of them are minorities... they’re afraid to speak out. A lot of them have signed non disclosure agreements so they can’t go public.” — Michael Dorgan (02:02)
• Some contractors are willing to accept greatly reduced payments just to survive, citing fear of costly litigation. (02:02, 06:35)

Celebratory Event Contrasts with Worker Hardship

• The Center's opening featured high-profile celebrities, while local contractors and workers face distress. (02:38, 02:50)
• “We thought it would be an excellent project… but we find out it’s a very shameful project for them because we have not gotten paid. And they should pay us as they celebrate with their celebrities today.” — Omar Sharif (02:38)

Purpose and Use of the Presidential Center

• The facility is not an official “presidential library”; classified documents will not be stored on-site. Instead, it's a museum and Obama Foundation headquarters, controversial due to its private foundation management and use of public land. (03:13)
• The project received a 99-year lease on 19.3 acres of public land (Jackson Park) for $10, plus public infrastructure improvements funded by Illinois and Chicago taxpayers. (03:13, 04:21, 04:23)

Gentrification and Community Effects

• Residents express concern about rising rents, Airbnb proliferation, hotel plans, and fears of displacement. (04:35)
• “This is a working-class community that is going to be at some stage outpriced.” — Michael Dorgan (04:41)

Community Advocacy and Frustration

• Dr. Aliyah Israel addresses the community’s historic support for Obama while demanding justice for workers:
  • “It’s nothing personal. It’s business… if people are misusing his name, then we have to come and say what? Justice for the Obama builders.” (05:19)

Contractors Muzzled

• Most directly affected contractors remain silent due to legal threats, while voices like Dr. Israel (not directly connected to the building) demand answers and justice. (05:45, 05:48)

Legal and Practical Barriers to Payment

• Contractors contemplating litigation find themselves stuck: “They’re in a hole because they’re owed money. And litigating against this is gonna cost them money as well.” — Michael Dorgan (06:35)
• Many are accepting large financial losses just to get something. (06:35)

Obama Foundation’s Response & Project Status

• Obama has not yet been directly confronted; the story is only just breaking, with whistleblowers coming forward now that the Center is essentially open. (07:02)

Project Complaints—Delays & Bureaucracy

• Example of Mike Owen, a plumbing subcontractor, who reinstalled a system multiple times at additional expense due to conflicting directives—now $4 million in the red and owed $900,000 for unnecessary work. (07:19)

Facility Impressions and Political Overtones

• Dorgan describes the Center as “controversial... a big granite concrete structure. It’s just hard. It sticks out... not my cup of tea for sure.” (08:32)
• Outside, the project is popular among Democratic community members, as it “promotes Obama’s legacy.” (08:11)
• Obama’s opening speech is described as “very politically charged,” using the project as a platform to “push his own influence, his own ideology.” (09:44)
• “It’s public land, supposed to be for public use, and now it’s been run by a private foundation... Obama has got this plot of land that he can push his own influence, his own ideology.” — Michael Dorgan (09:44)
• The episode raises the question of whether the Center could become a political headquarters, possibly for a future Michelle Obama campaign. (09:44)

Secondary Topic: Activist Funding, Foreign Influence

• Briefly, the episode pivots to reporting on investigations into foreign (especially Chinese) funding of left-wing groups in the U.S., naming Neville Roy Singham—a billionaire American tycoon in Shanghai—as a donor to left-wing causes including DSA. (10:41)
• Federal authorities are reportedly looking into these funding networks. (11:49)

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Omar Sharif on workers' pain:
  “We thought it would be an excellent project… but we find out it’s a very shameful project for them because we have not gotten paid. And they should pay us as they celebrate with their celebrities today.” (02:38)

• Michael Dorgan on project evolution:
  “It’s been promoted since day one as a presidential library. It is not a presidential library. Obama’s documents will not be there. They’re going to be off site… Obama got this land, 19.3 acres, massive site for $10 for 99 years. And it was supposed to be a presidential library, and it sort of evolved into a presidential center.” (03:13)

• Dr. Aliyah Israel on advocacy:
  “We love Obama. We helped to get him elected. We loved him before the nation even knew about him. But if people are misusing his name… then we have to come and say what? Justice for the Obama builders.” (05:19)

• Michael Dorgan on contractors' silence:
  “When I went down there, there was a wall of silence. You could feel it there. No one would want to talk to you. Omar rang me at the last minute on a Friday wanting to do an interview, that it was one of the subcontractors put me in touch, afraid to speak out.” (05:48)

• Obama’s opening speech (as recapped): “In the newly independent United States, there will be no kings or lords, no serfs or subjects, but only citizens... Economic disruptions, mass protests, backlash… Political conflicts… Same spirit that will see America and the world through its present trials.” (09:09)

---

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Timestamp | Topic | |-----------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 00:30 | Contractors’ unpaid bills & scale of crisis | | 01:21 | Project costs, overruns, and timeline | | 01:35 | On-the-ground chaos and regulatory issues | | 02:02 | Minority contractors’ fear of speaking and NDAs | | 02:38 | Omar Sharif’s emotional comments on nonpayment during celebrity celebration | | 03:13 | Status of documents, Foundation’s use of public land, and context of controversy | | 04:41 | Gentrification and local impact | | 05:19 | Dr. Aliyah Israel: call for justice and community’s historic support | | 06:35 | Legal obstacles for contractors seeking payment | | 07:19 | Specific contractor case: forced redos, lost payments | | 08:32 | Dorgan’s critique of the building’s aesthetics and comparison to Trump’s plans | | 09:09 | Obama’s speech: themes and political undertones | | 09:44 | Dorgan’s summary on Foundation’s goals and political overtones | | 10:41 | Investigation into left-wing activist funding and foreign money links | | 11:49 | Status of investigations; federal authorities’ involvement | | 12:00 | Episode wrap-up |

---

Final Thoughts

Brian Kilmeade and Michael Dorgan portray the Obama Presidential Center project as a case study in broken promises and ongoing controversy: contractors—especially minority-owned businesses—are left in financial jeopardy, legal action is stymied by NDAs and costs, the community sees both risk of gentrification and cultural ambivalence, while the project itself, originally meant to serve the public, is criticized as a new platform for Obama's continuing influence.

Those who have not listened to the episode will gain a detailed understanding of the financial, social, and political complexities at play, the emotional impact on local stakeholders, and the broader context of partisanship and activism as explored in the closing discussion.

Transcript

[A]

This episode is brought to you by Fox 1. Watch all 104 matches of the FIFA World cup live in 4K for just $19.99 a month with 3 days free. Build your own multi view, choose up to three streams and follow player spotlights. Stay on top of every moment with live stats, highlights and instant replays. The FIFA World cup streaming live on Fox One offers a subject to change. See fox.com for complete terms and conditions.

[B]

It's over about $100 million probably that estimatedly probably owed to contractors on this project. One contractor may be anywhere from 40 to 50 million dollars. Another contractor told me they're owed $100,000. Another one told me they owe 4 million dollars. So we have over 10 contractors that are being hurt and crippled by this particular project.

[C]

So that is Omar Sharif. He is the president of the African American Contractors association and he's commenting on how much they're owed from the Obama library bill that was unveiled yesterday. That was four years late and way over budget. Almost double the budget they intended for 300 billion. 300 million. It's up over 850 million. Michael Dorgan joins us now. He's been on this story. Fox News digital reporter Michael, great to see you.

[D]

Thanks for having me. Brian. I think the final bill is going to go well over $1 billion. That 850 million figure has been there since 2021 and we haven't got an updated figure since.

[C]

What's the delay?

[D]

I spoke to several subcontractors. I was in Chicago two weeks ago and they told me that the place, the work site was totally chaotic. There was just over regulation. Too many people there asking them to do too many things that didn't that weren't in line with specifications. And a two year job turned into a five year job for a lot of these subcontractors and a lot of them now face financial ruin. A lot of them are owed millions of dollars for this project and a

[C]

lot of them are minorities, right?

[D]

Yeah, several. You had Omar Sharif on there. I spoke to Omar when I was outside the center and he's an advocate for these black owned subcontractors and they're afraid to speak out. A lot of them have signed non disclosure agreements so they can't go public. They can't reveal any documentation. I spoke to, he didn't want to go public. He said he's owed two and a half million dollars and he said he would be happy to walk away with $1 million. But his business has been around for 40 years. He feels he's financially crushed. And, you know, we found that with several other subcontractors.

[C]

Well, here's more. Cut 38.

[B]

We thought it would be an excellent project for them to work on, but we find out it's a very shameful project for them because we have not gotten paid. And they should pay us as they celebrate with their celebrities today.

[C]

And they had Bruce Springst, they had Bono there, they had Oprah there, Tom Hanks, who is the hoo hoo of celebrities who have had nothing to do because Joe Biden was basically a corpse when he was in the Oval Office. And now this is the time to show up and look back at his eight years. What else do you think was noteworthy about the event?

[D]

A lot of billionaires there yesterday, Brian.

[C]

They could pay all these guys.

[D]

Yeah, yeah. And it's the little guy that's getting crushed. You know, this was supposed to uplift the minority community, the local contractors. What struck me yesterday was some of the framing about what the center is going to be. It's been promoted since day one as a presidential library. It is not a presidential library. Obama's documents will not be there. They're going to be off site. You're going to have the fortified structure, which is the museum. That's going to be a museum, but it's also going to be the home of the Obama Foundation. And the Obama foundation is what pushes, that keeps Obama's influence going. And that's significant because this site, this is public land. This is Jackson Park. This is the central controversy, too, isn't it? That went. Several court cases were filed against this that violated what's called the public trust doctrine, that public spaces must be used for public purposes. And what we have here is Obama got this land, 19.3 acres, massive site for $10 for 99 years. And it was supposed to be a presidential library, and it sort of evolved into a presidential center.

[C]

And yet he still doesn't have enough money to pay the people.

[D]

Doesn't have enough money to pay the people. And he also got the public infrastructure built around the center paid for the. Paid for by the city, that the taxpayer, the Chicago taxpayer, and the Illinois taxpayer.

[C]

So a lot of people feel, and you were in the neighborhood, that if you upgrade the neighborhood, you push a lot of people out. Did people get pushed out?

[D]

A lot of people are telling me that their rent is going up and a lot of airbnbs are bringing up property prices, property taxes. I'm not sure if anyone has been pushed out yet, but some people, they're Looking to get competitive, compensated. They're looking for $4 million spread across the neighborhood for gentrification purposes. And there's like hotels being planned to build there. So this is a, this is a working class community that is going to be at some stage out priced.

[C]

And the reason why a lot of these people are coming up is because they sign an NDA. They're not allowed to talk. They're afraid of getting sued even though they're short and they're about to go bankrupt. Here's Dr. Aliyah Israel. Cut 40.

[E]

I don't mean no harm. It's nothing personal. It's business. You know, we love Obama. We helped to get him elected. We loved him before the nation even knew about him. But if people are misusing his name. Now, I'm not saying he knows about it, but if people are misusing his name, then we have to come and say what? Justice for the Obama builders. People have put their lives on the line just to be a part of history.

[C]

So he was willing to speak out. Why?

[D]

He's not directly related to the build. The subcontractors are afraid to speak out. It's a democratic stronghold, as you know, and Obama was the first black president. And if they speak out, they're going to violate these NDAs. They've all been muzzled. And when I went down there, there was a wall of silence. You could feel it there. No one would want to talk to you. Omar rang me at the last minute on a Friday wanting to do an interview, that it was one of the subcontractors put me in touch, afraid to speak out.

[C]

So what is your impression of where this is going? They're gonna take it on the chin. I mean, can't they see a lawyer and say, look, I have to be able to fight back, I have to be able to get paid. And if that becomes public, I'm not some violation of NDA. If I take you to court and I have an NDA, you still rob me of my 4 million.

[D]

See, they're in a hole because they're owed money. And litigating against this is gonna cost them money as well. So that's why the subcontract that I spoke to you about was willing to take $1 million. So he's willing to take a 1.5 million hit on the job.

[F]

Cheers to America's 250th birthday. Get 20% off your first purchase at foxnewswineshop.com with code FNRADIO20. 20% discount excludes wine club Offers and cannot be combined with any other promotion. Expires July 31, 2026. Must be 21. Order to order. Please drink responsibly.

[C]

Has President Obama been confronted on this? Any of the Obama?

[D]

Not yet. We just broke the story yesterday. I've been on it for a while, but we just broke the story yesterday because these guys only started to speak out recently because they felt if the center gets opened, they think now it's gonna be harder for them to get paid once the do.

[C]

What was the delay?

[D]

We could only speculate. So what was happening was a lot of change. Orders were happening. Mike Owen, who I spoke to, he's a plumbing contractor. He's 4 million in the red. He had built this stormwater system at the center. It runs next to a lagoon, so it could see a lot of flooding. He put the system in. An architect or an engineer came back to him and said, you did it wrong. You weren't following code. Mike said, he did follow code, but he'll fix it anyway. So he fixed it, $900,000 of cost. And he went to the inspector and the inspector said, the way you did it the first time was correct. And he went away and fixed it on instruction. And now he still can't get paid that $900,000, which he contacted me about nearly 18 months ago.

[C]

So what was it? Were you there yesterday?

[D]

Wasn't there yesterday. I was there last week.

[C]

So would you project that this is gonna be a big tourist attraction?

[D]

I think I spoke to people outside last week and of course, they're Democrats, they're very happy with it. It promotes Obama's legacy.

[C]

Have you walked it?

[D]

I walked it, yeah. But I didn't get into the museum. It was. They had soft opening events two weeks ago. It's a nice, expansive place. You can walk out there. It's kind of parkland, but the building itself is.

[F]

Is.

[D]

It's controversial, let's say the least. The museum, it's a big granite concrete structure, and it's just hard. It sticks out. It. You know, it's not. If you compare it with President Trump's rental for his, it's going to be a big, shiny tower like the one World Trade center down in Miami. Completely different. So I guess it's. It's whatever taste buds you had, but it wouldn't be my cup of tea for sure.

[C]

So he was taking. He took shots yesterday. He's a great speaker. Michelle did a great job. And it was just time for your family and friends, I thought, and your supporter, especially the people that put you in office. But he didn't waste any time going after Trump. Listen, cut 29.

[G]

In the newly independent United States, there will be no kings or lords, no serfs or subjects, but only citizens. Economic disruptions, mass protests, backlash against mass protests. Political conflicts that have shaken the very foundation of our democracy. The good reverend was under no illusions about the perils and obstacles facing the abolitionist cause. Same spirit that will see America and the world through its present trials.

[C]

So is there any, any your takeaway from that?

[D]

Like, listen to that. It's very politically charged. Yeah, yeah, it's very politically. And this, again, this goes back to the initial controversy. It's public land, supposed to be for public use, and now it's been run by a private foundation. Obama's foundation, nara, which oversees all the presidential libraries, won't be there. So Obama has got this plot of land that he can push his own influence, his own ideology. And just to let you know, this is what he said yesterday for while our work is nonpartisan, we are not values neutral. We have a point of view. So what's he going to be pushing on this at this foundation, at this center for the next couple of years? It's going to promote himself, his influence. Is Michelle gonna run for office? Is this gonna be a headquarters for the Obama Foundation?

[C]

We'll have to see. So the other big story that you're working on is the DSA and the infiltration of this DSA into the democratic cause. Who's financing this move? There's nothing attractive about socialism, but yet now it is beginning to sell and they're beginning to make progress on the left.

[D]

Yeah. So we've, we at Fox News Digital have been doing some deep investigations into this money network or what it's called. It's this foreign malign influence that's coming from China. Azra Nomani, who's our senior investigations editor, has done Trojan work on all this for the last couple of years. Really? And she was able to piece together over 700 nonprofit groups that are funding all these left wing protests. We've been out at these left wing protests. There's all these various nonprofits there. And it's all being funneled, a lot of it is being funneled from an American tycoon who lives in China. His name is Neville Roy Singham and he's been funding, he's a billionaire and he's been funding a lot of these left wing groups.

[C]

Not in Hong Kong?

[D]

No, this is Shanghai. Yeah.

[C]

So this is pretty amazing. And they say that he's real well, he's really thought this through, and it's hard for us to get to him. You can't have a foreign entity paying for an American political system. That's what Code Blue is being investigated for, taking foreign money. So why is the DSA allowed to take foreign money, or has that not been found out yet?

[D]

I think federal authorities are looking into this, and he's on their radar. But I think it's a matter of time. But we could see some action fairly soon.

[C]

All right. We'll be able to follow that on FOX Digital.

[D]

Fox News Digital.

[C]

Yeah. All right, Michael Dorgan, great work on the true story behind the Obama library. They can't do anything without controversy. You can find it on FOX News Digital. Thanks, Michael.

[D]

Thanks, Rain.