Администрация Трампа угрожает отозвать финансирование Смитсоновского института из-за нарушений антидискриминационных законов

The Trump administration has threatened to withdraw support from the Smithsonian Institution unless it corrects alleged violations of federal nondiscrimination laws, citing evidence of creating a hostile work environment based on race and ethnicity. Conservative leaders, including President Donald Trump, have accused the Smithsonian of allowing progressive ideology to influence its presentation of American history, leading to clashes over the museum's direction and funding. The administration has called for changes in the Smithsonian's leadership and institutional ideology, warning that federal support may be pulled if the issues outlined in the Department of the Interior's letter are not addressed, potentially impacting the institution's future direction. The Trump administration says it has uncovered evidence that the Smithsonian Institution violated federal nondiscrimination laws and is threatening to withdraw support from its museums unless it corrects course, according to a letter recently made public by the Department of the Interior. "The administration has recently uncovered evidence that the Smithsonian leadership's institutional culture may have resulted in significant violations of Federal antidiscrimination law, including creating a hostile work environment and engaging in practices that classify individuals and allocate opportunities, funding and other benefits on the basis of race, ethnicity and other protected characteristics," a letter sent jointly to the Smithsonian by the DOI and White House reads. Specific evidence of illegal activity on the part of the Smithsonian was not included in the letter, and the DOI did not provide further information when reached for comment. A recent Fox News Digital investigation found that many leading figures at the Smithsonian, including those involved in hiring, have been strong proponents of diversity, equity and inclusion — something the Trump administration has previously framed as racially discriminatory. Trump's Smithsonian Clash Exposes Striking Pattern Among Museum Curators Conservative political leaders, led by President Donald Trump, have accused the Smithsonian of allowing progressive ideology to shape its presentation of American history. An executive order signed in 2025 directed officials to remove what it called "improper ideology," from the museum. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The Executive Order signed by the President of the United States clearly states 'the Secretary of the Interior, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, the Administrator of General Services, and the Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy shall identify and utilize any and all available authorities to promote the policy of this order and to restore trust in the Smithsonian Institution," a DOI spokesperson told Fox News Digital. Read On The Fox News App Trump Targets Biden-era Billion-dollar Smithsonian Budgets Amid Anti-'woke' Push Liberals, meanwhile, have framed conservative criticism of the Smithsonian as a partisan attempt to influence the public presentation of history. Advertisement Advertisement Unless the Smithsonian remedies the issues outlined in the DOI's recent letter, as well as the general bias which conservatives allege exists at the institution, the administration says it will consider pulling support from it. The threats this time around, however, differ from the ongoing fight over the roughly $1 billion a year in federal funding the Smithsonian receives. Smithsonian's Taxpayer Funds Face Chopping Block As Gop Demands Accountability For 'Woke' History "Those executive departments and agencies cannot in good conscience continue to support the Smithsonian under current leadership by, for example, loaning artifacts for exhibits, enabling procurement processes and making discretionary grants," the letter reads. While the letter does not provide specific changes that the administration would like to see from the Smithsonian, it does note that an "appropriate response" from the organization "must likewise address executive leadership and institutional ideology." Advertisement Advertisement That wording could be significant as the institution operates independently but is overseen by board members appointed by congressional resolutions that the president must sign into law. By October, there will be four openings on the institution's board of regents, a fact the administration may leverage to increase its influence over the Smithsonian. "Very few Americans want the Smithsonian National Museum of American History to be used, in the words of its director, as a 'prime tool of social justice' and as an instrument of ideological activism and advocacy,"  Vince Haley, the director of the White House's Domestic Policy Council told Fox News Digital when asked about the letter. "Unfortunately, the  Saving America's Story  report demonstrates, using the statements of Museum leadership and the interpretive guidelines adopted by the Museum, that this is exactly what the Smithsonian's flagship museum has become." "During this 250th anniversary year of our heroic founding, the least our citizens are owed is an honest and inspiring account of American history. It should begin by telling the story of our Founding Fathers — who they were, what they did, and what they built. It is our hope and expectation that the Smithsonian will eventually rise once again to that noble obligation — to tell America's story for our children, the world and future generations of Americans," he added. Watch: Smithsonian History Museum Director Stumbles Over Basic Questions On Sex: 'I'm Not Sure' DOI requests that representatives from the Smithsonian meet with administration officials "at [their] earliest convenience" to discuss the alleged bias and civil rights violations present at the institution. Advertisement Advertisement "The museum does not take sides in America's political debates. We preserve and document the evidence of American life in all of its breadth, so that the public can encounter the past and draw their own conclusions," National Museum of American History 's director Anthea Hartig said at a July congressional hearing. The Smithsonian declined to comment on the letter when reached by Fox News Digital on Thursday. Click Here To Download The Fox News App Recent reporting has found that the museum's leadership and many of its curators have backgrounds in liberal advocacy or Democratic politics. In addition to exhibits at the National Museum of American History, which the Trump administration characterized as demonizing America, even the Smithsonian-run National Zoo is inundated with information about DEI and gender equity. Original article source: Smithsonian showdown intensifies as Trump administration issues a stark new warning