A subcontractor on the Obama Presidential Center project in Chicago has shut down operations and laid off 25 union workers, amid a dispute over nearly $4 million the company says it is owed. The closure of Adamson Plumbing Contractors comes just weeks after the centre's high-profile opening, and highlights ongoing financial and contractual tensions surrounding the flagship building project.

Company owner Mike Owen told Fox News Digital that the unpaid amount forced him to abandon roughly half a dozen other construction jobs and pushed the firm to the brink of collapse. He said the financial strain ultimately left him no choice but to suspend operations entirely, resulting in the layoffs of the 25 union workers.