Trump administration warns agencies could stop helping Smithsonian

The Trump administration is threatening to cut off federal agencies’ participation with the Smithsonian Institution, accusing its leaders of promoting a “culture of ideological activism” — the latest move in an ongoing dispute surrounding the world’s largest museum complex’s presentation of exhibits about the U.S.

In a letter to Smithsonian leaders last Friday, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and the president’s assistant for domestic policy, Vince Haley, cited a July White House report , which they said identified “alarming examples” of “radical ideology” across museum exhibits and programming.

“In addition to the more than $1 billion appropriated to the Smithsonian by Congress each year, the Smithsonian enjoys support from executive departments and agencies,” the officials wrote in their letter.

“Those executive departments and agencies cannot in good conscience continue to support the Smithsonian under current leadership by, for example, loaning artifacts for exhibits, enabling procurement processes and making discretionary grants,” they continued.

The two administration officials requested the Smithsonian’s Board of Regents meet with them to discuss the findings of the White House report.

The Smithsonian Institute declined to comment.

In July, the president directed the National Park Service to install disclaimers outside of the Smithsonian National Museum of American History (NMAH) stating some of the museum’s exhibits contain “inaccurate information” about the nation’s past.

The executive order , titled “Restoring trust in the Smithsonian Institution,” also cited the White House report on the museum complex’s exhibits to justify the new, temporary signage.

“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,” the president said in the order.

Trump directed his administration to “take all available steps” to address the issues identified by this report.

NMAH Director Anthea Hartig defended the museum against Republican criticism during testimony before a congressional panel in July, telling lawmakers the White House report “does not fairly or accurately” capture the museum’s exhibits.

“The museum does not take sides in America’s political debates,” Hartig said. “We preserve and document the evidence of American life in all of its breadth, so that the public can encounter the past and draw their own conclusions.”