Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Paul Tonko (Capital Region New York)
WASHINGTON – Today, Congressman Paul Tonko (NY-20), Co-Chair of the Congressional Museum Caucus, and Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) led 69 of their colleagues on a letter to the Inspector General of the Smithsonian Institution demanding an investigation of the impact of Donald Trump’s harmful Executive Order attacking Smithsonian museums – namely, the American Art Museum, the American Women’s History Museum, and the National Museum of African American History and Culture – attempting to erase histories of marginalized communities.
Created by Congress in 1846, the Smithsonian Institution has a clear mandate to operate as a non-partisan and autonomous museum, education, and research complex, free from political influence. Not only is it home to dozens of museums, libraries, education and research centers, and the National Zoo within Washington, D.C., but the Smithsonian also coordinates with over 200 affiliate organizations in nearly every state – all of which could be impacted by the proposed cuts and erasure of race and culture in the Executive Order.
“On March 27, 2025, President Trump signed Executive Order 14253, which would infringe on the independence of the Smithsonian Institution to carry out its core mission to provide Americans and the world with the tools and information we need to forge our shared future,” the lawmakers wrote in their letter to Smithsonian Inspector General Nicole Angarella. “The funding cuts and content directives will undoubtedly have a devasting impact on the preservation and integrity of American history and culture.”
The Trump Administration’s executive order specifically directs the Smithsonian Institution to remove exhibits and narratives it considers ‘divisive’ or ‘race-centered’, politicizing the Smithsonian’s foundational purpose and eroding public trust. Both the National Museum of African American History and Culture Act and the National Museum of the American Latino Act were enacted with strong bipartisan support, reflecting a shared commitment across party lines to explore, document, and interpret the central role of race and cultural identity in American history. Additionally, the funding cuts and content mandates would have a significant trickle-down effect on local museums and cultural organizations across the United States, diminishing the Smithsonian’s ability to provide guidance, professional development, and travel exhibits to smaller museums.
“Conditioning funding on adherence to prescribed, right-wing ideology jeopardizes the Smithsonian’s legal compliance oversight and its capacity to document American history and culture accurately,” the lawmakers continue. “It is both ironic and self-defeating to demand that the Smithsonian Institution adhere to content mandates banning race, as doing so undermines the very rationale for the creation of these museums.”
The lawmakers are requesting an inspector general investigation and report on findings including:
- An audit of the operational and financial implications of the proposed content mandate and funding cuts, including the consequences on the Smithsonian Affiliates;
- An audit of the expected impact on existing contractual obligations;
- An analysis of EO 14253’s compliance with statutory requirements established by Congress;
- Any documentation of deaccessioned artifacts following EO 14253 and plan to prevent the destruction or sale of cultural and historical artifacts; and
- A recommendation for the Smithsonian Board of Regents on how to adhere to statutory law and the institutions’ public trust responsibilities.
“Our shared responsibility is to ensure that the Smithsonian remains a source of inspiration and learning for all, free from undue political interference,” the lawmakers wrote.
A copy of the letter is available here.