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The White House is increasing pressure on the Smithsonian Institution, demanding extensive internal records and warning that funding authorized by Congress could be withheld if the museum’s plan does not meet a mid-January deadline, according to a Bloomberg report.
In a letter sent Thursday to Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie Bunch, Domestic Policy Council Director Vince Haley and Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought said administrators want assurances that Smithsonian leadership is committed to presenting American history in a positive light as the nation approaches its 250th anniversary in 2026.
“We wish to be assured that none of the leadership of the Smithsonian museums is confused by the fact that America has been one of the greatest powers in world history,” the letter said, according to Bloomberg.
“The American people will have no patience for any museum that is not favorable to the founding of America or another that is not comfortable conveying a positive view of American history.”
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President Donald Trump has ordered a review of the Smithsonian’s contents, ahead of the 250th birthday of the founding of the United States. (Getty)
The report said the White House has set a deadline of Jan. 13 for the Smithsonian to respond to the requested records, warning that administrators could use the Office of Management and Budget’s appropriations authority to delay or withhold federal funding if the institution fails to comply.
This reflects the intensity of the controversy that began earlier this year, when President Donald Trump signed an executive order accusing the Smithsonian of operating “under the influence of divisive, racially oriented views” and ordering the institution to eliminate exhibits or programs that “undermine America’s shared values.”
A letter from the White House, according to Bloomberg, accused the Smithsonian of being slow in responding to requests for previous information and providing only available information about its program, especially in relation to future exhibitions scheduled between 2026 and 2029.
Administrators said they wanted detailed schedules and budgets as part of their review.
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The first sweeping review includes eight museums, most of which belong to the Smithsonian Institution. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
The Smithsonian oversees some of the nation’s most prominent museums, including the National Museum of American History, the National Museum of African American History and Culture, the National Air and Space Museum and the National Museum of the American Indian.
Established by Congress in 1846, the Smithsonian is governed by a Board of Regents consisting of members of Congress and the chief justice of the Supreme Court.
The funding warning builds on previous criticism from the Trump administration of the Smithsonian’s exhibit content. In a July 5 special for Fox News Digital, White House official Lindsey Halligan accused the Smithsonian of using taxpayer dollars to promote “one-sided, divisive political narratives,” pointing directly to the content of the National Museum of American History’s Entertainment Nation exhibit.
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The Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History in Washington, DC (Kevin Carter/Getty Images)
“The American taxpayer should not be the institution that undermines our country or promotes a one-sided, divisive political narrative,” Halligan told Fox News Digital at the time. He said the exhibits should present history “in a way that is accurate, balanced, and consistent with the values that make the United States of America so unique.”
The Smithsonian said at the time that it was “committed to ongoing and rigorous teaching” and was reviewing the exhibit’s content to ensure it met the institution’s standards.
Bloomberg reported that the latest letter requests the records as part of the administration’s semiquincentennial preparations, which Trump has signaled he wants to use to emphasize patriotism and a unifying national narrative.
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The Smithsonian receives about two-thirds of its annual budget from federal appropriations, according to a previous Fox News Digital report.
The White House and the Smithsonian did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s requests for comment.
