In response to President Trump’s effort to reshape the Smithsonian Institution, four Democratic members of a House oversight committee urged Vice President JD Vance to reject such an attempt to impose the president’s own views of American history.
In a letter sent on Thursday to the office of Mr. Vance, who sits on the Smithsonian’s board, the legislators said the effort would threaten the Smithsonian’s curatorial autonomy and excellence.
“Today, it is the envy of cultural institutions across the planet — not because of ideological edicts or interference from politicians, but because of the world-renowned experts who independently curate the Smithsonian’s collections, programs, exhibits and activities,” the letter said. “It is this curatorial independence that is the hallmark of credible museums and cultural institutions.”
The letter was written by Democratic members of the 12-person Committee on House Administration, which oversees the Smithsonian. It came in response to a March executive order by Mr. Trump titled “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History.”
In the order, the president criticized what he described as a “revisionist movement” across the country that “seeks to undermine the remarkable achievements of the United States by casting its founding principles and historical milestones in a negative light.” He took particular aim at the Smithsonian, accusing it of promoting “narratives that portray American and Western values as inherently harmful and oppressive.”
Mr. Trump does not directly control the Smithsonian, a federal institution with 21 museums as well as libraries, research centers and the National Zoo. It is governed by a Board of Regents and overseen by Congress.
But the Smithsonian does receive a majority (62 percent) of its more than $1 billion annual budget from congressional appropriations, federal grants and government contracts.
The letter defending the Smithsonian has no binding authority, but it praised the institution as a force for unity that brings together “ideologically and geographically diverse Americans of many backgrounds to learn about our shared national story and build the nation’s collective memory.”
“Unfortunately, we now stand at the brink of seeing the Smithsonian at its worst: shaped solely by the views and ideology of one individual as a means of expanding his political power,” the letter said.
The letter was signed by Representatives Joseph D. Morelle of New York, Norma J. Torres of California, Terri A. Sewell of Alabama and Julie E. Johnson of Texas.
Mr. Vance and White House officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Friday morning.
In his executive order, Mr. Trump directed Mr. Vance to work with Congress to prevent spending on exhibitions or programs that “degrade shared American values, divide Americans based on race or promote programs or ideologies inconsistent with federal law and policy.” He also said Mr. Vance should work to further the president’s priorities and seek to reshape the Smithsonian’s 17-member board, a bipartisan mix of senators, representatives and private citizens.
The Smithsonian closed its diversity office in January, shortly after the president signed an executive order that banned diversity, equity and inclusion programs at organizations receiving federal money.
The letter to Mr. Vance criticized the way Mr. Trump’s executive order about U.S. history had singled out the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture. “This flagrant attempt to erase Black history is unacceptable and must be stopped,” the letter said. “The attempt to paper over elements of American history is both cowardly and unpatriotic.”
Lonnie G. Bunch III, the first Black secretary at the Smithsonian and the founding director of the African American museum, has not publicly commented on Mr. Trump’s order. But in an email last month to Smithsonian employees, he pledged to “remain steadfast in our mission to bring history, science, education, research and the arts to all Americans.” He added that “we remain committed to telling the multifaceted stories of this country’s extraordinary heritage.”
The Committee on House Administration is led by Bryan Steil, Republican of Wisconsin, who grilled Dr. Bunch in 2023 about supposed foreign influence, drag events and what he said was divisive racial ideology.
Mr. Trump’s effort to influence the Smithsonian began a month after his takeover of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, where he installed himself as chair. Since the Smithsonian order, the Trump administration has also moved to take over other federal cultural agencies and lay off most of their employees.
This month, it abruptly canceled most existing grants from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, including ending federal support to public libraries in all 50 states. It also canceled most existing grants by the National Endowment for the Humanities, which has been ordered to redirect some funds to Mr. Trump’s planned National Garden of American Heroes.
Graham Bowley is an investigative reporter covering the world of culture for The Times.
Robin Pogrebin, who has been a reporter for The Times for nearly 30 years, covers arts and culture.
Jennifer Schuessler is a reporter for the Culture section of The Times who covers intellectual life and the world of ideas.
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