Overview
- An August 28 letter from Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and White House Domestic Policy Director Vince Haley told the Smithsonian Board of Regents that executive departments "cannot in good conscience continue to support the Smithsonian under current leadership," and listed possible steps such as stopping artifact loans, procurement assistance and discretionary grants.
- The letter says officials have "recently uncovered evidence" suggesting the Smithsonian’s institutional culture may have led to significant violations of federal antidiscrimination law, but it does not provide public specifics about those findings.
- Smithsonian leaders, including Secretary Lonnie Bunch and museum directors, reject the administration’s charges and say the museums follow independent scholarship, while the dispute has focused attention on Board of Regents vacancies and a contested transfer of the Arts and Industries Building to the National Museum of the American Latino.
- The escalation builds on a campaign that began with a March 2025 executive order, a broad review of exhibits, a July 4 White House report criticizing the National Museum of American History, and presidential orders to place critical signage outside that museum.
- If agencies withdraw cooperation it could disrupt exhibitions, research loans and grant-funded programs, the Justice Department would be the body to assess any legal violations, and the administration has requested an in-person meeting with the regents while the fight over appointments and governance continues.