Overview

• Secretary Lonnie Bunch sent letters on Sept. 2 and 3 to the White House and staff asserting the Smithsonian’s authority over content and announcing a small internal team to manage responses.
• The institution will conduct its own review of exhibitions and operations and plans to brief the administration on results, but it does not intend to submit a formal report, a Smithsonian official said.
• The Smithsonian expects its internal review to finish by year’s end, while the administration’s separate review continues toward an early‑2026 timeline and, so far, has not ordered any exhibit removals.
• A White House official said the Smithsonian cannot credibly audit itself and vowed to ensure a neutral audit, following earlier demands for exhibit texts, curatorial plans and materials tied to the U.S. 250th anniversary.
• Eight museums are in the initial phase of scrutiny, and recent turbulence has included leadership disputes at the National Portrait Gallery and an exhibition shift by artist Amy Sherald to the Baltimore Museum of Art.