The Tamesis
The Smithsonian Institution has turned over internal materials related to its programs and operations under pressure from the White House for a review, according to private emails obtained by Defense Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch II. new york times.
Upon his return to office in January, President Donald Trump issued an executive order aimed at purging what he called “anti-American ideology” from the Smithsonian Institution, museums and archives in Washington, D.C., including the National Museum of American History, the National Portrait Gallery, the National Museum of the American Indian and the National Museum of African American History and Culture.
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The Trump administration has given Tuesday until Tuesday to fully comply with an August directive requiring the Smithsonian to turn over internal materials for review or risk losing federal funding, which makes up the vast majority of its budget. In response, Bunch publicly reaffirmed the agency’s nonpartisanship and independence, saying the Smithsonian will conduct its own review and brief the government on its findings.
The email said the Smithsonian would transfer materials on a rolling basis, including “digital photographs of labels, placards and other text that are on public display in several galleries,” signaling a softening of Bunch’s stance. The emails added that the Smithsonian “will continue to work with the White House, Congress and government stakeholders to provide relevant and appropriate materials about our mission, organizations, exhibits, programs and public releases.”
Last March, the White House issued Executive Order 14253, titled “Restoring Truth and Sanity in American History,” which argued that the Smithsonian had failed to present a positive view of the United States and accused the institution of promoting “narratives that portray American and Western values as inherently harmful and oppressive.” Later that year, the White House website published a list of artworks and exhibitions that were inconsistent with the administration’s values, including a show at the Smithsonian American Art Museum that viewed sculptures as symbols of power. The National Museum of African American History and Culture has been singled out again for using language that references “white-dominated culture,” an action that has already been criticized in the executive order.
The Smithsonian is not a federal agency and therefore does not fall under the direct jurisdiction of the White House. Yet federal funding accounts for nearly two-thirds of its roughly $1 billion annual budget. Its board of directors includes the chief justice of the United States, the vice president, three senators, three members of the House of Representatives and nine private citizens, making the agency vulnerable to political pressure.
