Federal officials from the Trump administration have signaled a potential pullback of practical support from the Smithsonian Institution, escalating a months-long dispute between the White House and the nation's largest museum and research complex.
A letter sent to the Smithsonian's governing board and signed by U.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and White House Domestic Policy Council Director Vince Haley states that federal 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." The communication, dated Friday, urged Smithsonian leadership to meet with the administration to address the concerns raised.
The letter also alleged the Smithsonian may have violated anti-discrimination laws through certain diversity practices, and it asked for engagement to resolve the administration's criticisms. The correspondence was reported earlier by the Atlantic.
The Smithsonian, which encompasses 21 museums and galleries along with the National Zoo, had no immediate comment on the letter. The institution serves as a prominent exhibition space for American history and culture and is a large recipient of federal involvement in the form of loans, procurement assistance and discretionary grants.
Those who study and defend the historical record quickly criticized the administration's actions. Historians and civil rights advocates have denounced the moves, arguing they risk reversing social progress and undermining acknowledgement of important chapters in U.S. history.
This latest step builds on earlier actions and statements by President Donald Trump, who has previously threatened to reduce federal funding for the Smithsonian and publicly criticized what he described as an excessive focus on the role of slavery in American history. The President has also ordered the installation of signage outside the National Museum of American History to reflect his administration's criticism, and the White House launched a review last year of some museums.
Lonnie Bunch, the Smithsonian Institution Secretary, pushed back against a White House report that accused the National Museum of American History of "thinly veiled anti-Americanism" and "extreme political activism," calling that characterization unfair.
The administration's broader policy stance includes a crackdown on diversity initiatives across government and private sector contexts, with officials asserting such practices can be discriminatory against white people and men. Civil rights groups have condemned that stance, saying diversity efforts seek to address historic inequities affecting ethnic minorities, the LGBT community and women.
The letter's demand for a meeting and its suggestion that agencies may withhold operational support represent a material escalation in the dispute between the Smithsonian and the administration. How agencies will respond if the guidance is acted on was not detailed in the letter, and the Smithsonian's response was pending at the time of publication.