STATEMENT: The Chilling Effect of White House Overreach into the Smithsonian Institution

EveryLibrary is deeply concerned about the White House’s recently announced "comprehensive review" of the Smithsonian Institution’s museums dedicated to history, culture, art, and science. 

EveryLibrary is deeply concerned about the White House’s recently announced "comprehensive review" of the Smithsonian Institution’s museums dedicated to history, culture, art, and science. 

According to public reports, the Trump administration is requiring eight Smithsonian museums, including the National Museum of American History, the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the National Portrait Gallery, to submit their exhibition content, draft plans for future shows, and internal guidelines for review. The administration expects the Smithsonian’s vast collections to be aligned with President Trump’s executive order on "Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History" within 120 days.

The Smithsonian Institution was established by Congress in 1846 as a “trust instrumentality”, which holds a unique legal status: it is neither part of the Executive Branch nor a traditional federal agency, but a publicly chartered trust governed by its Board of Regents. Because of this status, longstanding legal precedents have affirmed that the Smithsonian is not subject to executive branch directives, such as President Trump’s executive orders or White House instructions, unless acted upon by its Board of Regents or mandated by new legislation. Policies like the March 2025 Executive Order on "Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History" and the August 12, 2025 White House letter demanding prior review of museum exhibits represent political overreach rather than legitimate authority.

The administration describes its directive as a collaborative initiative to ensure "uplifting and inclusive portrayals of America’s heritage" and "Americanism." However, the requirement for museums to submit digital files, internal guidelines, educational resources, and governance documents for review goes well beyond collaboration. It is a type of interference that looks like the imposition of the administration’s peculiar worldview on an American cultural crown jewel. It compromises the professional standards, integrity, and independence of one of the world’s leading cultural institutions.

This attempted oversight of the Smithsonian, an institution the administration cannot legally control, comes at a time when numerous other federal cultural institutions, including the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), the Library of Congress, and the National Archives, are without permanent, Senate-confirmed directors. This leadership gap leaves these organizations especially vulnerable to political interference, which can undermine the safeguards that protect those agencies from politicization. 

Federal actions like these have ripple effects at the state and local levels. If the Smithsonian, a prestigious institution known for its historical independence, can be compelled to align its content with political agendas, smaller organizations such as local history museums and public libraries will likely face increased pressure to modify their collections, exhibitions, and programs to fit these prevailing narratives. This encroachment threatens the right of communities to explore their history, culture, and identity honestly and on their own terms.

Our concerns are not unrealistic given the current pace of federal initiatives aimed at aligning cultural and educational institutions with a narrow political interpretation of history and identity. If left unchecked, it could threaten the independence of not only the Smithsonian but also the libraries, archives, and museums that rely on public support and trust. Public libraries and local museums, governed by their own boards and rooted in community priorities, may find themselves pressured to censor or exclude works that do not align with an officially sanctioned version of American history. EveryLibrary stands with the broader community of museums, libraries, and archives in rejecting this overreach. We call on Congress to exercise oversight and protect the independence of our national cultural institutions. 

As we approach our nation’s 250th anniversary, Americans deserve institutions that tell our whole story truthfully, encompassing all its achievements and challenges. We urge civic leaders and the public to uphold the principle that history, culture, and knowledge must be presented with integrity, complexity, and openness. Failing to do so diminishes the very democracy that these museums, libraries, and archives exist to uphold.