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The Interior Department has quietly done what too few in Washington will do: it asked the Smithsonian to stop acting like a political theater and start doing its job. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum sent a direct letter to the Smithsonian’s Board of Regents after the White House rolled out the executive order, “Restoring Trust in the Smithsonian Institution.” The message was simple: federal dollars pay for museums that preserve our history, not push an ideology.
Burgum’s Letter: Restoring Mission, Not Messaging
Secretary Burgum made clear that the Smithsonian exists to protect the American story, not to sell a political viewpoint. He asked the Board of Regents to meet with his team to discuss findings from the White House review. That review showed changes to mission statements and exhibits that shift focus from national achievements to divisive identity politics. If museums become lecture halls for a single viewpoint, they stop being museums and start being propaganda centers.
DEI at the Smithsonian: The Problem Exposed
Officials at the Smithsonian have openly pushed diversity, equity, and inclusion as central to the institution’s work. That alone should not be a scandal. But when staff are told to interpret everything through the lens of “race and identity” or “gender and sexuality,” the result is a narrowed, political narrative. Taxpayer-funded museums are supposed to present a full, balanced picture of our history — including triumphs, failures, and the hard lessons — not just a curated parade of grievance.
Taxpayer Funding and Accountability
The Smithsonian gets well over a billion dollars from American taxpayers. That money comes with the right to expect stewardship, not sermons. The administration rightly asked whether public funds are being used to push a divisive agenda. If leadership at the Institution endorses ideological priorities while collecting hefty public paychecks, Congress and the public have a right to ask who the Smithsonian really serves.
What Comes Next — A Chance to Choose the Right Side
The letter from Secretary Burgum is more than paperwork. It is a test. The Board of Regents can either defend the Smithsonian’s duty to the American people or keep letting the institution drift into politics. This is a fixable problem if leaders put mission before messaging. National museums should inspire pride, teach truth, and preserve our cultural inheritance for future generations — not audition for the latest political trend. The country should demand nothing less.
