Reps. Stansbury, Jackson, and Mfume Introduce Bill to Protect the Smithsonian
This bill follows various attacks on the Smithsonian by the Trump Administration.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congresswoman Melanie Stansbury (NM-01), Ranking Member of the DOGE Subcommittee, Rep. Jonathan Jackson (IL-01), and Rep. Kweisi Mfume (MD-07) introduced the Smithsonian Integrity and Historical Independence Act of 2026, a bill to protect the independence of the Smithsonian Institution. This bill follows various attacks on the Smithsonian by the Trump Administration including two executive orders, reports, and demands to overhaul exhibits that the Administration claims promote a “political ideology” and “thinly veiled anti-Americanism."
“The Smithsonian is one of our country’s greatest cultural institutions. Its museums are the keepers of our story, in all of its complexity, triumphs, and challenges,” said Rep. Stansbury. “The President and his allies don’t get to decide who belongs and who doesn’t and whose histories, cultures, and stories matter in this country. This is our history, our country, our Smithsonian, and it belongs to all of us—the American people. This bill is to protect the independence of the Smithsonian and any attempts to try to rewrite our history or compromise its responsibility to tell the story of all Americans and to share our stories with the world.”
"You cannot tell the story of America without telling the story of the South Side of Chicago, and you cannot tell that story honestly without telling the truth about race, struggle, and progress in this country,” said Rep. Jonathan Jackson. “The Smithsonian keeps that truth for all of us. This Administration wants to decide which Americans get remembered and which get erased, but that is not their call to make. I am proud to co-lead this bill because our history is not theirs to rewrite, and the people I represent will not be forgotten."
"Our history has been under attack by Donald Trump for a year and a half now, and last week we learned that this administration intends to put up signs outside the Museum of American History to warn the public about the museum's own historians. I never thought I would see the day," said Rep. Kweisi Mfume. "I am proud to stand with Congresswoman Stansbury and Congressman Jackson to co-lead this bill. No federal official, not the Vice President, and not the President himself, gets to walk into a Smithsonian museum and tell the historians what our history is allowed to say. These museums do not belong to one man, and they do not belong to one party. They belong to the American people."
“Americans value museums as trusted, independent sources of information, and regardless of political affiliation, they have made it overwhelmingly clear that they do not support museum censorship,” said Devon Akmon, Chair of the Board of the American Alliance of Museums. “Protecting the Smithsonian’s scholarly independence honors that public trust and affirms a principle fundamental to all museums: scholarship and interpretation must be guided by evidence, expertise, and professional standards, not political influence.”
"The people who work at the Smithsonian’s history museums are ordinary people—people from many backgrounds and perspectives. They love history; they bring their own families to enjoy the museums on weekends; they work hard as employees and public servants. And they do that work with integrity-- as historians, curators, educators, conservators, and in many other roles through which they bring knowledge to the American people," said Dr. Sarah Weicksel, Executive Director of the American Historical Association."When people walk through the doors of the Smithsonian, they are inspired, surprised, excited, moved to tears, by the artifacts and the stories they find there. Preserving the Smithsonian’s independence ensures that visitors can continue to learn from the entirety of the American story and that it continues to be one of the United States’ most beloved institutions."
“The Smithsonian Institution must be allowed to continue operating free from partisan pressure and in accordance with scholarly and museum best practices,” said John Dichtl, President and CEO of the American Association for State and Local History.“Our country’s cultural crown jewel, the Smithsonian helps millions of Americans connect and learn about our shared history, while also serving as a vital model for the nation’s 21,000 history organizations. We urge Congress to act quickly to defend the Smithsonian and the public’s access to a whole and honest story of America’s past."
President Trump has signed two executive orders directly attacking the Smithsonian Institution’s independence since taking office. Signed in March 2025, the first Executive Order titled “Restoring Trust and Sanity to American History” directs Vice President JD Vance and other Cabinet members to eliminate exhibits, programs, and budgets that they believe portrays American history in a manner the Administration disagrees with.
The second Executive Order, titled “Restoring Trust in the Smithsonian Institution,” signed in July 2026, ordered the placement of signage and warnings critical of the National Museum of American History, alleging that its exhibits present “inaccurate and biased” information. This executive order followed the Administration releasing reports critical of the Smithsonian for allegedly promoting a partisan perspective of American history.
The Smithsonian Integrity and Historical Independence Act of 2026 is endorsed by the American Alliance of Museums (AAM), the American Historical Association (AHA), and the American Association for State and Local History (AASLH).
You can watch a full recording of the presser on the introduction of the bill here. You can read the full text of the bill here.
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