Overview

• President Trump's Executive Order 14253 directs the removal of 'divisive' or 'race-centered ideology' from Smithsonian exhibits, specifically naming the National Museum of African American History and Culture
• House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries has written to Chief Justice John Roberts, urging him to reject the order as an attempt to whitewash American history and undermine the Smithsonian's autonomy.
• Seventy-one House Democrats, led by Ayanna Pressley and Paul Tonko, have formally requested the Smithsonian inspector general investigate the executive order for potential legal violations.
• Lawmakers argue the directive jeopardizes the Smithsonian's mandate to operate as a nonpartisan steward of American history and could lead to historical revisionism.
• The Smithsonian board of regents and inspector general have not yet responded to the calls for oversight, as tensions over the order's implementation continue to escalate.