Staff Reports
Representative Jared Huffman’s recent theatrics on the House floor unfold like a bad soap opera, with Breitbart News inexplicably cast as the villain. According to Huffman, a story from the conservative website was responsible for the demise of the National Museum of Play Recognition Act, aimed at designating the Margaret Woodbury Strong Museum in Rochester, New York, as America’s premier play haven. Apparently, in Huffman’s world, Congressman Joe Morelle’s plan to celebrate a toy museum was swiftly torpedoed after Breitbart shined a light on some rather peculiar programming at the establishment.
The tale began when House Republican leadership prepared to vote on Morelle’s bill, presumably expecting bipartisan support. Enter Huffman, who claimed that the swift pull of the bill was a direct reaction to Breitbart’s exposé into the museum’s “woke” programming. The calamity, it seems, stemmed from a museum page that dedicates itself to discussing “Toyetic Oppression” and features a lesson on “Exploring the Genius of Black Women in Video Gaming.” Reading the pieces of this convoluted puzzle, one might think there isn’t enough room in Congress for both toys and common sense.
“That’s how it works these days. Breitbart posts something, Congress reacts.”
Democrat Congressman Credits @BreitbartNews for Killing Woke Museum Billhttps://t.co/x8nfOsP2yO
— Bradley Jaye (@bradleyajaye) February 6, 2025
Huffman found it especially alarming that the bill’s abrupt removal was justified by a belief among Republican members that the museum had become a bastion of “wokeism” and diversity initiatives. He gingerly referred to the bill as “innocuous,” as if pointer fingers on keyboards entwined with the far-left agenda were not at play. The display of indignation reached a peak when Huffman questioned whether Republicans were simply letting Breitbart dictate the legislative agenda, as if acknowledging serious concerns about taxpayer-funded programs is somehow a terrible thing.
Interestingly, the museum website flaunts its “Diversity and Inclusion Internships,” which seems to lend some credence to those worried about the implications of federal taxpayer dollars being funneled into ideological playgrounds. Huffman and his comrades might want to contemplate why Americans should fund programs that endorse a rather radical agenda, while ordinary folks are just trying to figure out how to keep playtime innocent and fun. The “small temporary exhibit” that Huffman referred to—a showcase on black designers diversifying toy aisles—raises further eyebrows, as it adds to the growing catalog of how woke ideologies have crept into every corner of public funding.
One might quirk a brow at Huffman’s claims regarding reports of non-existent biases among Republicans. After all, a good number of Americans have noticed that behind the curtain of so-called “diversity,” there’s often a hidden agenda wanting to replace traditional values with something decidedly less wholesome. As for taxpayer dollars flowing to the museum, nearly $400,000 from the National Endowment of the Humanities in 2024 doesn’t make it seem like the federal government is prioritizing playtime for the right reasons.
In the end, Huffman’s lamentations about the supposed influence of Breitbart serve more to illustrate the fragile ecosystem within liberal circles than they do any genuine concern for national museums. If anything, it shows how much dread the left feels at the thought of scrutiny from conservative outlets; the idea of Americans holding institutions accountable for their content and funding rattles them to their core. In this modern political climate, the mere suggestion of conducting proper oversight is enough to shake the walls of partisan politics and send Democrats scrambling for cover.
