Memorandum
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- Derek Weston via FOX News
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- Politics·4 min to read
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Trump administration warns Smithsonian over alleged civil rights violations
ReTrump administration warns Smithsonian over alleged civil rights violations
The Interior Department and White House sent a joint letter to the Smithsonian Institution alleging violations of federal nondiscrimination laws and threatening to withdraw support unless leadership addresses what it calls institutional bias.
The Trump administration has warned the Smithsonian Institution that it may withdraw federal support from its museums unless the organization addresses alleged violations of federal nondiscrimination laws, according to a joint letter from the Department of the Interior and the White House recently made public.
The letter states that the administration has uncovered evidence that the Smithsonian's leadership culture may have resulted in significant violations of federal antidiscrimination law, including creating a hostile work environment and engaging in practices that classify individuals and allocate opportunities, funding, and other benefits on the basis of race, ethnicity, and other protected characteristics. The letter did not include specific evidence of illegal activity, and the Interior Department did not provide further details when asked for comment.
The warning escalates a long-running clash between the administration and the institution over how American history is presented. President Donald Trump signed an executive order in 2025 directing officials to remove what it called improper ideology from the museum. Conservative leaders have accused the Smithsonian of allowing progressive ideology to shape its exhibits, while liberals have framed the criticism as a partisan attempt to influence the public presentation of history.
The threats this time differ from the ongoing fight over the roughly $1 billion a year in federal funding the Smithsonian receives. The letter specifies that executive departments and agencies cannot in good conscience continue to support the Smithsonian under current leadership by loaning artifacts for exhibits, enabling procurement processes, or making discretionary grants.
The letter does not list specific changes the administration wants to see, but it notes that an appropriate response from the organization must address executive leadership and institutional ideology. That wording could carry weight because the Smithsonian operates independently but is overseen by board members appointed through congressional resolutions that the president must sign into law. By October, there will be four openings on the institution's board of regents, a fact the administration may leverage to increase its influence.
The Interior Department has requested that Smithsonian representatives meet with administration officials at their earliest convenience to discuss the alleged bias and civil rights violations. The Smithsonian declined to comment on the letter when reached by Fox News Digital on Thursday, and the White House did not respond to a request for comment.
Recent reporting has found that many leading figures at the Smithsonian, including those involved in hiring, have been strong proponents of diversity, equity, and inclusion, which the administration has previously framed as racially discriminatory. In addition to exhibits at the National Museum of American History, which the administration has characterized as demonizing America, even the Smithsonian-run National Zoo has been cited for providing information about DEI and gender equity.
At a July congressional hearing, National Museum of American History director Anthea Hartig defended the institution, saying the museum does not take sides in America's political debates and instead preserves and documents the evidence of American life so the public can encounter the past and draw their own conclusions.
