White House Accuses Smithsonian of Discrimination, Threatens To Cut Federal Grants
The Trump administration warned the Smithsonian Institution on August 28 that it could lose discretionary support from executive agencies, accusing it of potential violations of federal antidiscrimination law. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and Vince Haley, assistant to the president for domestic policy, wrote to the Smithsonian’s board of regents, arguing that executive departments may stop loaning artifacts, assisting procurement, and awarding discretionary grants, even though Congress provides the majority of Smithsonian funding—more than $1 billion annually. The letter cites a White House Domestic Policy Council report titled Saving America’s Story: How Ideological Capture at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History Erases Our Heritage and an executive order from Trump, Restoring Trust in the Smithsonian Institution, which claims current leadership cannot be trusted to tell America’s story “with honesty and gratitude.” Burgum and Haley criticized the National Museum of American History’s “Interpretive Plan” for tying topics to issues such as race and identity, gender and sexuality, climate change, immigration, and economic inequality, and they alleged—without specific examples—that Smithsonian culture may have created a hostile work environment by allocating opportunities based on protected characteristics. The American Alliance of Museums, representing 22,000 museums, rejected the letter’s assertions and reaffirmed support for the Smithsonian’s independence.
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This story was covered in Funding Fights, Fee Hikes, and Biennale Blowback