(The Hill) – Smithsonian museums and the National Zoo officially shut down to the public on Sunday due to the government shutdown, which is on day 13.
The Smithsonian announced on X Friday that museums would close on Oct. 12, with no date set for reopening.
“Due to the government shutdown, Smithsonian museums are temporarily closed beginning on Sunday, Oct. 12, along with our research centers and the National Zoo. We will update our operating status as soon as the situation is resolved,” the post read. “We do not plan to update social media other than to inform you of changes to our operating status.”
Employees across the government are set to miss their first paychecks this week. Many will continue working without pay, while thousands more have been furloughed until the shutdown ends. The Trump administration moved to fire thousands of government workers on Friday, in a move that drew swift legal challenges.
The Smithsonian froze federal hiring in January and closed its Office of Diversity, in line with President Trump’s push to remove “DEI” programs across federal agencies.
Trump has repeatedly clashed with Smithsonian museums throughout his second term.
Earlier this year, Trump attempted to remove National Portrait Gallery Director Kim Sajet for being a “strong supporter” of DEI initiatives; she later resigned.
In August, the White House launched a review of some of the Smithsonian’s museums aimed at ensuring “alignment” with President Trump’s “directive to celebrate American exceptionalism, remove divisive or partisan narratives, and restore confidence in our shared cultural institutions.”
Also this summer, the National Museum of American History removed and then reinstalled descriptions of Trump’s impeachments from an exhibit.
Smithsonian museums lost $3.4 million in gross revenue during a 2019 government shutdown, which lasted 35 days, the longest in U.S. history, during Trump’s first term.
About 62 percent of the Smithsonian’s budget comes from federal funding; the rest comes from donors and revenue made from merchandise and food.
The Smithsonian has 21 museums, nine research centers and a zoo across D.C. and New York. The museums initially planned to stay open until Oct. 6, but extended that deadline until Sunday.
The House remains out of session and senators on both sides of the aisle have shown no signs of budging from their demands to reopen the government, making the prospects for an immediate deal look slim heading into week three of the shutdown.
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