Overview

• On June 9, the Smithsonian’s Board of Regents issued a statement affirming that all personnel decisions rest with Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III, not the president.
• President Trump’s May 30 social media post claimed to fire National Portrait Gallery Director Kim Sajet for alleged partisanship, though Sajet has continued to report to work.
• The regents instructed Bunch to articulate clear expectations for museum directors and staff to maintain unbiased content and to report any needed personnel changes.
• The White House has proposed a 12 percent reduction in the Smithsonian’s budget for 2026, including cuts to the Anacostia Community Museum and the planned al Museum of the AmericAmerican Latino.
• These developments follow Trump’s March executive order demanding an end to federal funding for exhibitions based on racial themes and efforts to purge “improper ideology” from Smithsonian institutions.