Four Democratic senators urge Smithsonian to resist White House attempts to ‘bully the institution’

In a letter sent Friday to the Smithsonian Institution’s secretary, Lonnie G. Bunch, Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., and three other Democratic senators urged Bunch to resist any attempts by the White House to “bully the institution to go against its mission and values.”

The letter from the four Senate Democrats comes weeks after President Trump called the Smithsonian and museums “all over the Country essentially, the last remaining segment of ‘WOKE.’” On Truth Social, he said that the Smithsonian presents a narrative of the country’s history that is about “how horrible our Country is, how bad Slavery was, and how unaccomplished the downtrodden have been — Nothing about Success, nothing about Brightness, nothing about the Future.”

The White House also released an unsigned memo last month specifically criticizing 22 exhibitions, live programs and other materials at the Smithsonian, titled, “President Trump Is Right About The Smithsonian.” NPR has reported that some of the exhibitions were temporary and are no longer on view.

The coauthors of Friday’s letter are three senators with ties to the institution: Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., and Gary Peters, D-Mich., both current members of the Smithsonian’s Board of Regents; and Sen. Jeffrey A. Merkley, D-Ore., the ranking member of an appropriations subcommittee which holds jurisdiction over the Smithsonian’s federal funding. The letter was provided to NPR by Padilla’s office.

Within the letter, the senators asserted that oversight of the Smithsonian rests with Congress from its founding, not the White House.

“As you know,” the senators wrote in part, “the Smithsonian Institution is a national treasure, and it is also a public-private partnership managed as an independent federal trust. It is not an executive agency over which the President can exert unilateral control over its historical, scientific or artistic content. The Institution was created by Congress to care for the bequest of James Smithson and to found ‘an establishment for the increase and diffusion of knowledge.’ In recent years, it has been funded with a relatively even split of private donations to support its programming, and federal appropriations provided by Congress to support its core operations including the maintenance of the facilities, further underscoring its unique status.”

The letter continued: “Congress assigned the trust responsibility for this gift of private property to the United States and its ongoing mission to the Smithsonian Board of Regents, not to the executive branch.”

The senators say they are working to keep federal funds flowing to the institution.

NPR has reached out to the White House and the Smithsonian Institution for comment.

In a written statement, Padilla told NPR, “I take seriously my responsibility to ensure the Smithsonian and its Board of Regents defend its independence and tell the full story of America — one that acknowledges both the bright and difficult chapters of our history. The Smithsonian must remain free from political interference, no matter who lives in the White House and Congress will continue to protect its autonomy and support the millions of visitors who enjoy it every year.”

The Trump administration announced last month that it intends to audit exhibitions and holdings at eight Smithsonian museums, including the National Museum of African American History and Culture and the National Museum of American History, to ascertain whether or not they align with the “President’s directive to celebrate American exceptionalism, remove divisive or partisan narratives, and restore confidence in our shared cultural institutions.” Trump vowed on social media to expand his review of American museums, promising to “start with the Smithsonian and go from there.”

On Wednesday, The New York Times reported that Bunch, in an internal memo to Smithsonian staff, said that he has put together an in-house team who will review what materials and information the institution will turn over to the White House, pledging to keep the scholarship at the Smithsonian independent, non-partisan and intellectually rigorous.

The senators in their letter referred to Bunch’s plans, writing: “We expect this review process to be conducted appropriately, free of political interference, and for the Institution to keep the Board and Congress regularly updated on that review. Further, as you consider the appropriate response to the White House letter sent to you, we emphasize the necessity to consult closely with the Board of Regents and with Congress. Accordingly, we request that any materials that the Smithsonian determines are appropriate to provide in response to the letter also be provided to the appropriate congressional oversight committees on a bipartisan basis.”

Jennifer Vanasco edited this story.