Why It Matters
The Trump administration is using federal funding as leverage to reshape how the Smithsonian tells America's story. On July 22, the House Administration Committee held an oversight hearing where Republicans pressed National Museum of American History Director Anthea Hartig on exhibits about race, gender and sexuality, marking the first time a senior Smithsonian leader faced public congressional scrutiny since President Donald Trump signed an executive order targeting what he calls divisive ideology at the institution.
The administration has proposed using the Smithsonian's congressionally appropriated funding as leverage, with discussions underway about potentially withholding hundreds of millions of dollars pending a comprehensive review of the museum's exhibition pipeline. The stakes extend beyond one museum: the dispute represents a broader effort to use federal power to influence how cultural institutions tell the nation's history.
The Big Picture
The confrontation stems from a White House report released July 4 titled "Saving America's Story." The 162-page document accused the National Museum of American History of engaging in extreme political activism and promoting a radical, activist ideology fundamentally opposed to telling an honest story of America.
Trump's budget proposal for fiscal 2026 eliminated funding for the National Museum of the American Latino, signaling where the administration stands on diversity-focused exhibits.
Rep. Mary Miller (R-IL) asked Hartig directly, "What is a crotch harness?" while describing a sexually explicit LGBTQ+ exhibit using that term. The back-to-back congressional hearings represent an escalation from rhetorical criticism to direct oversight and potential funding pressure, according to political analysts.
The Smithsonian Institution was created by Congress in 1846 with a mission to increase and diffuse knowledge. It operates as an independent trust instrumentality established by Congress, governed by a 17-member Board of Regents chaired by the chief justice of the United States.
What They're Saying
The hearing exposed a fundamental disagreement over institutional independence and historical interpretation. Committee Chair Rep. Bryan Steil (R-WI) opened with a clear message: "It's not only okay to love America, it is great to love America."
Ranking Member Rep. Joseph Morelle (D-NY) responded with a sweeping indictment of the Trump administration's actions. He detailed how Trump fired the archivist of the United States without a stated reason, removed the librarian of Congress while claiming she placed inappropriate books in children's hands at a research library that does not lend books to the public, restructured the Kennedy Center's leadership, and ordered exhibits about slavery removed from national parks.
"President Trump is abusing the power of the White House to pressure one of America's most respected cultural institutions into political obedience," Morelle said. "The Smithsonian was established as an independent institution precisely so no president could dictate how our nation's story is told."
Morelle also drew an international comparison. Vice President JD Vance, he noted, has called Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán a model for the United States. Morelle argued Orbán has exercised control over the history taught in Hungarian schools. He also noted that, a year before the hearing, the Smithsonian Board of Regents reaffirmed that the institution would remain free from political or partisan influence and that Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie Bunch III issued a policy requiring exhibits to be grounded in scholarship, balanced and nonpartisan.
Hartig said the museum does not take sides in America's political debates and has spent her career studying, teaching and preserving American history. She highlighted her family's military service dating to the Revolutionary War and argued the White House report does not fairly characterize the museum's full body of work.
Yale historian David Blight, Sterling Professor of History and African American Studies, offered a different perspective. According to reporting, Blight said, "We do not write woke history, whatever that is, but we do try to awaken citizens."
Jeffrey Anderson, president of the American Main Street Initiative, challenged Hartig's characterization of several exhibits, arguing her explanations were misleading.
The atmosphere reflected deep partisan divisions. The Atlantic characterized the proceedings as a patriotism sniff test in which Hartig could not deflect Republican questioning despite citing her Revolutionary War heritage and affirming her love of country.
Political Stakes
Hartig has served as the Elizabeth MacMillan Director of the National Museum of American History since 2019, becoming the first woman to hold the position since the museum opened in 1964. According to the Smithsonian Institution, she oversees approximately 200 employees, a collection of roughly 1.7 million objects and an annual budget exceeding $50 million. The museum welcomes roughly 2 million visitors annually. Her leadership has come under increasing political scrutiny as lawmakers debate future funding.
The White House's letter to Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie Bunch III pointedly noted that the Smithsonian's $1 billion budget is largely supported by federal appropriations. Congressional appropriators have discussed potentially withholding hundreds of millions of dollars while pressing Smithsonian leadership to undertake a comprehensive review of its exhibition pipeline.
The National Museum of American History houses Thomas Jefferson's writing desk used to draft the Declaration of Independence, Abraham Lincoln's top hat, the Greensboro lunch counter and the Star-Spangled Banner.
The Organization of American Historians formally rejected the White House report's claims, calling the effort an attempt to coerce the Smithsonian into presenting an inaccurate version of history aligned with the President's political agenda. The American Historical Association has likewise reiterated its support for an independent Smithsonian Institution.
The Other Side
Republicans argued the museum already demonstrates ideological balance. Anderson noted that the museum's America at 250 exhibit currently displays a 2024 Trump campaign MAGA hat, a National Rifle Association button supporting gun rights and an anti-abortion protest sign from a Washington rally. The museum gift shop also sells multiple busts of Trump and books written by or about him.
The White House report argues that America's founders have been marginalized within the museum's exhibits. At the same time, the museum prominently displays Jefferson's writing desk, George Washington's military uniform and the Star-Spangled Banner. The report also criticizes exhibits highlighting Mexican American and Filipino American history as examples of what it characterizes as an overemphasis on identities outside the nation's founding narrative.
A month after the House Jan. 6 committee issued its final report, Trump pardoned nearly 1,600 people convicted in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, including individuals convicted of assaulting police officers.
What's Next
The hearing record will remain open for five legislative days to allow members to submit additional materials. The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee has also announced related hearings examining the Smithsonian and its exhibits.
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