Federal Cultural Policy

The White House has sent a letter to Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie Bunch demanding extensive internal records on exhibit planning and warning that the administration may use the Office of Management and Budget’s apportionment authority to delay or withhold federal funding if the museum system does not comply by Jan. 13. Signed by Domestic Policy Council Director Vince Haley and OMB Director Russ Vought, the letter seeks detailed schedules and budgets for 2026–2029 exhibitions and insists that Smithsonian leaders present a "positive" view of American history ahead of the nation’s 250th anniversary, escalating an ongoing dispute over alleged "race-centered" and "divisive" content. The move follows a Trump executive order targeting Smithsonian programming and earlier criticism from White House officials who accused exhibits like the National Museum of American History’s “Entertainment Nation” of undermining shared American values.