Interior Secretary and White House Aide Warn Federal Agencies May Stop Loaning Artifacts and Grants to the Smithsonian Unless Its Leadership Changes

In an Aug. 28, 2026 letter to the Smithsonian Institution's Board of Regents, made public in early September, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and White House Domestic Policy Council Director Vince Haley wrote that federal agencies cannot "in good conscience" support the institution and may cease "loaning artifacts for exhibits, enabling procurement processes and making discretionary grants." They cited a July 4 White House report claiming the National Museum of American History promotes "extreme political activism," and wrote that "the appropriate response must likewise address executive leadership and institutional ideology." They also said the administration had "recently uncovered evidence" of possible violations of federal antidiscrimination law, without providing examples.

The Smithsonian is a public-private trust that does not consider itself an executive agency, but the federal government supplies two-thirds of its budget and collaborates on exhibitions and research. Conditioning that cooperation on a change in leadership and content moves an eighteen-month pressure campaign toward tangible consequences.

The letter asks the Board of Regents, which includes Chief Justice John Roberts, to meet in person. Four public regent seats open by early October. The museum's director has said the White House report "does not fairly or accurately characterize" its work.