The Trump administration has threatened to take away the support of federal agencies from the Smithsonian Institution in an ongoing dispute of how the world’s largest museum complex presents U.S. history.
Read more Elon Musk’s America PAC Pours Money Into Key Senate Races, Backs Paxton in Texas
Fox News reports that the administration says it has uncovered evidence that the Smithsonian Institution violated federal nondiscrimination laws, according to a letter recently made public by the Department of the Interior.
In the letter sent last Friday, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and White House domestic policy assistant Vince Haley noted that the Smithsonian “enjoys support from executive departments and agencies”, in addition to the more than $1 billion in funding it receives from Congress each year.
The Trump administration is putting the Smithsonian on notice, warning it could pull federal support over what it says are potential violations of federal antidiscrimination law.
Beyond roughly $1 billion in annual federal funding, agencies could stop loaning artifacts,… pic.twitter.com/ApvfhJeu7v
— Fox News (@FoxNews) September 3, 2026
The administration says it has uncovered evidence that the Smithsonian Institution violated federal nondiscrimination laws and is threatening to withdraw support from its museums unless it corrects course, according to Fox News.
The letter states:
The administration has recently uncovered evidence that the Smithsonian leadership’s institutional culture may have resulted in significant violations of Federal antidiscrimination law, including creating a hostile work environment and engaging in practices that classify individuals and allocate opportunities, funding and other benefits on the basis of race, ethnicity and other protected characteristics.
The letter goes on to lay out the administration’s criticisms of the institution and requests an in-person meeting with its board.
Read more House Cancels Final Two Weeks of September Session With Major Issues Unresolved
According to NBC News, the Smithsonian declined to comment on the letter and on whether any meeting has taken place.
President Trump and other conservative leaders have accused the Smithsonian of allowing progressive ideology to shape its presentation of American history.
The Hill reports that in July, the president directed the National Park Service to install disclaimers outside of the Smithsonian National Museum of American History (NMAH) following an official White House report that found some of the museum’s exhibits contain “inaccurate information” about the nation’s past.
At that time, the president said, “The Report demonstrates that the Smithsonian leadership does not present American history as a shared national inheritance to be taught and celebrated, but instead views American history as a ‘prime tool’ to advance ideas of social justice and the radical transformation of our society.”
Last week’s letter doesn’t name specific changes but calls for an “appropriate response” from the organization, saying the Smithsonian “must likewise address executive leadership and institutional ideology.”
Smithsonian board members are appointed by Congress and by October there will be four openings on the institution’s board of regents, a fact the administration may leverage to increase its influence over the Smithsonian, Fox News reports.
Read more Pentagon, HHS Investigating Whether COVID Vaccines Contributed to Military Deaths
