WASHINGTON, D.C. — The signs will be placed on National Park Service land and will reflect President Trump's July executive order titled "Restoring Trust in the Smithsonian Institution." The Interior Department estimated the cost of the signs at $7,000 each, totaling approximately $84,000.

U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley criticized the administration's move. "This is another step in a well-planned pressure campaign by the Trump Administration to undermine the integrity and independence of the Smithsonian Institution," Merkley said. He added, "I'll fight like hell to protect the Smithsonian's independence so that the Institution can continue to tell all of America's story for generations to come."

Lonnie G. Bunch III announced on Sept. 8 that he would retire as Smithsonian Secretary at the end of the year. Bunch stated that the timing of his retirement was not connected to attacks from the Trump Administration. The Smithsonian Institution operates as a trust instrumentality and is not formally a part of any of the three branches of the federal government.

Why It Matters

The proposed signs target the Smithsonian Institution, a group of museums and research centers administered by the United States government. The National Museum of American History is a history museum in Washington, D.C. and a division of the Smithsonian Institution. The administration's actions represent a direct challenge to the institution's curatorial independence and its mandate to diffuse knowledge.

The dispute follows earlier regulatory actions by the Interior Department. On Dec. 13, 2023, the department published a rule titled "Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act Systematic Processes for Disposition or Repatriation of Native American Human Remains, Funerary Objects, Sacred Objects, and Objects of Cultural Patrimony". The current letter expands federal oversight into the ideological content of museum exhibits, raising questions about the boundary between government administration and scholarly interpretation.

Timeline

Also on Sept. 3, 2026, the letter cited Anthea Hartig, director of the National Museum of American History, stating that history is "a prime tool of social justice." The letter stated that visitors should be aware of Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie Bunch's history of invidious discrimination and anti-white animus. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum stated in a Sept. 3 letter that the signs are necessary to combat what he described as ideological bias and to ensure public transparency and academic honesty. The letter alleged that several exhibits present ideological viewpoints inconsistent with biology, including ideologies that sex is not binary.

The letter charged that the museum seeks to legitimize illegal immigration and open borders.

What's New

The Smithsonian Institution is a group of museums and research centers administered by the United States government.

The Interior Department published a rule titled Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act Systematic Processes for Disposition or Repatriation of Native American Human Remains, Funerary Objects, Sacred Objects, and Objects of Cultural Patrimony on Dec. 13, 2023.