First to ABC: House Dems urge JD Vance to preserve Smithsonian independence
Source: ABC News
April 18, 2025, 9:15 AM
House Democrats are demanding the White House preserve the independence of the Smithsonian Institution after President Donald Trump signed an executive order in late March that directed federal agencies and the Smithsonian to eliminate what the order calls "anti-American" and "improper" content from the vast network of museums and national parks.
The top Democrat of the House Administration Committee, Rep. Joe Morelle, and other Democrats who have oversight of the Smithsonian Institution sent a letter, first obtained by ABC News, to Vice President JD Vance, who serves as a member of the Smithsonian's Board of Regents. "We urge you to reject any effort to effectuate the goals of the Proclamation and to preserve the 175-year tradition of curatorial independence that has come to define the Smithsonian Institution," the lawmakers wrote, raising concerns over Trump's order.
The order, entitled "Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History," directs Vance to eliminate what it claims are "improper ideology" from all areas of the institution, which consists of 21 museums, 14 education and research centers and the National Zoo in Washington, D.C.
"Unfortunately, we now stand at the brink of seeing the Smithsonian at its worst: shaped solely by the views and ideology of one individual as a means of expanding his political power," the letter states. The letter is the latest effort by Democrats to push back on one of several actions taken by the White House to roll back diversity, equity and inclusion efforts across the federal government.
Read more: https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/abc-house-dems-urge-jd-vance-preserve-smithsonian/story?id=120934327
Link to LETTER (PDF) - https://democrats-cha.house.gov/sites/evo-subsites/democrats-cha.house.gov/files/evo-media-document/2025-04-17-cha-to-vp-re-si.pdf
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I can hardly wait for the new display showing the dinosaurs marching onto the ark, two by two. 