The Smithsonian Institution is under pressure as House Republicans demand its leaders either steer the museum system away from leftist ideology or lose funding.
The institution receives private money, but it also gets approximately $1 billion in taxpayer money annually, and lawmakers are working to make sure it depicts American history accurately, Fox News reported Friday.
House Appropriations Committee member Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-GA) told the outlet:
The Smithsonian is accountable to the taxpayers. So defunding them in certain ways, or tying their funds to requirements, I think is probably the best way to ensure that we bring the Smithsonian back to its required mandate. And that is to tell the truth about the American story, and to tell about the exceptionalism of this country and its people.”
According to Art Forum, the federal government has proposed cutting the institution’s budget to $961.3 million.
In March 2025, President Donald Trump signed an executive order titled Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History.
“Once widely respected as a symbol of American excellence and a global icon of cultural achievement, the Smithsonian Institution has, in recent years, come under the influence of a divisive, race-centered ideology,” the order read. “This shift has promoted narratives that portray American and Western values as inherently harmful and oppressive.”
The order continued:
It is the policy of my Administration to restore Federal sites dedicated to history, including parks and museums, to solemn and uplifting public monuments that remind Americans of our extraordinary heritage, consistent progress toward becoming a more perfect Union, and unmatched record of advancing liberty, prosperity, and human flourishing. Museums in our Nation’s capital should be places where individuals go to learn — not to be subjected to ideological indoctrination or divisive narratives that distort our shared history.
To advance this policy, we will restore the Smithsonian Institution to its rightful place as a symbol of inspiration and American greatness — igniting the imagination of young minds, honoring the richness of American history and innovation, and instilling pride in the hearts of all Americans.
The Trump administration has since been evaluating the institution for allegedly promoting biased narratives and moving toward “extreme political activism,” according to Breitbart News.
The Smithsonian has also framed embattled Dr. Anthony Fauci in heroic terms and reportedly featured far more leftist items than conservative ones in its America 250 exhibit.
Per the recent Fox article, Clyde said lawmakers could tie funding to specific requirements such as highlighting American exceptionalism and the good things the nation’s Founding Fathers did.
In addition, House Appropriations Committee member Rep. Ben Cline (R-VA) told the outlet, “The Smithsonian’s role is to teach historic facts, not to put our country under a political kaleidoscope of woke ideology.”
WATCH: Rep. Brandon Gill Asks Smithsonian Director About “Mass Action Toolkit” Narrative on “White Supremacy Culture”
Read the full article here