Interior Secretary plans warning signs outside Smithsonian museums

Signs reflect Trump’s July executive order, Burgum letters say

The Interior Department has told two U.S. senators that the Trump administration is preparing roughly a dozen temporary warning signs for placement on National Park Service land outside Smithsonian museums in Washington, D.C., according to letters obtained by NPR.

In letters dated Sept. 3, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum wrote to Senators Lisa Murkowski, a Republican from Alaska, and Jeff Merkley, a Democrat from Oregon. The two senators are the top members of the Senate Appropriations Committee, which oversees Smithsonian funding.

Burgum wrote that “a commitment to public transparency” and “academic honesty” required the administration to advise visitors that “the leadership of the Smithsonian and NMAH have altered the museum’s role from accurately and coherently telling America’s story to using the museum as a tool to advance personal, radical ideologies.” NMAH refers to the National Museum of American History.

The signs will reflect President Trump’s July executive order titled “Restoring Trust in the Smithsonian Institution,” according to the letter. The Interior Department said the sign text is not yet finalized. It estimated each sign would cost $7,000, for a total of about $84,000.

The Sept. 3 letter detailed several specific accusations. It cited Anthea Hartig, the director of the American History museum, as having said that history is “a prime tool of social justice.” It alleged the museum seeks “to legitimize illegal immigration and open borders.” It charged that several exhibits “present ideological viewpoints inconsistent with biology, including ideologies that sex is not binary.” And it said visitors should be aware of “Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie Bunch’s history of invidious discrimination and anti-white animus.”

The Smithsonian declined to comment on Burgum’s letter. In July, however, Bunch wrote to Smithsonian staff in response to a report detailing the administration’s accusations of bias, saying: “At the Smithsonian, our work is driven by scholarship, accuracy and an uncompromising commitment to tell the fullness of America’s story.”

Bunch, who is highly respected in the worlds of academia and museums, announced on Sept. 8 that he would retire at the end of the year. He told NPR the timing was not connected to attacks from the Trump administration.

The letter is the latest step in a sustained effort by the Trump administration and congressional Republicans to reshape the culture of Washington, D.C., institutions and monuments, combining executive orders and hearings. Other proposed changes have included renovating the Kennedy Center, renaming it after Trump, and building a proposed triumphal arch.

Senator Jeff Merkley, the Oregon Democrat, said in a statement: “This is another step in a well-planned pressure campaign by the Trump Administration to undermine the integrity and independence of the Smithsonian Institution.” He added: “I’ll fight like hell to protect the Smithsonian’s independence so that the Institution can continue to tell all of America’s story for generations to come.”

NPR said it had reached out to Murkowski for comment.