Trump admin puts Smithsonian on notice: Drop the ideology or federal help could disappear

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The Trump administration is warning the Smithsonian Institution that cooperation and discretionary support from executive agencies could be jeopardized if officials conclude the museum system is violating federal anti-discrimination law.
A letter from Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and White House Domestic Policy Council Director Vince Haley alleges Smithsonian practices may have created a hostile environment or allocated opportunities based on race, ethnicity or other protected traits.

The Trump administration is escalating its showdown with the Smithsonian Institution, warning that federal cooperation could begin disappearing if the museum system doesn’t address what the White House describes as ideological and discriminatory practices.

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and White House Domestic Policy Council Director Vince Haley sent a letter to the Smithsonian Board of Regents raising the possibility of withholding certain forms of executive-branch assistance.

The letter alleges that the Smithsonian’s institutional culture “may have resulted in significant violations of Federal antidiscrimination law.”

Trump’s Interior Dept. sent the Smithsonian’s board a warning last week that federal agencies could stop funding if Smithsonian leaders do not abandon what the “ideological agenda that seeks to transform both the Smithsonian and the country.”

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Among the administration’s concerns are allegations involving a hostile work environment and the distribution of opportunities, funding or benefits based on race, ethnicity or other legally protected characteristics.

What the administration is threatening is significant but narrower than simply “defunding the Smithsonian.” The Smithsonian receives more than $1 billion annually through congressional appropriations, accounting for roughly 62% of its overall funding. Congress controls that money.

The administration is instead pointing to assistance that executive agencies can control, including artifact loans, procurement support, and certain discretionary grants.

The dispute has been building for months. In July, the White House released a report accusing the National Museum of American History and other Smithsonian facilities of promoting ideological activism rather than presenting history neutrally. President Trump also signed an executive order directing the Interior Department, Office of Management and Budget, General Services Administration and Domestic Policy Council to use available federal authorities to restore what the administration calls “truth and sanity” to American history.

Smithsonian leaders have pushed back on accusations that the institution is partisan. National Museum of American History Director Anthea Hartig told Congress that the museum “does not take sides,” while Smithsonian leadership has repeatedly emphasized the institution’s independence.

The new letter asks for an in-person meeting with the Board of Regents to discuss the administration’s concerns.