‘Remove Improper Ideology’: Trump Order Targets the Smithsonian and Other D.C. Museums

The latest executive order from President Trump is targeting the Smithsonian Institution at Washington, D.C., as the administration continues to eliminate DEI programs across the federal government.Mr. Trump is targeting funding for federal sites and museums that advance “divisive narratives” and “improper ideology.” In a statement released by the White House, he seemingly places a target squarely on the Smithsonian with allegations that the group of museums have fallen prey to the influence of race-centered ideology.“Museums in our Nation’s capital should be places where individuals go to learn — not to be subjected to ideological indoctrination or divisive narratives that distort our shared history,” he says in a statement. “To advance this policy, we will restore the Smithsonian Institution to its rightful place as a symbol of inspiration and American greatness.”Under the new order, Vice President Vance, who currently sits on the Smithsonian’s Board of Regents, is now in charge of overseeing new efforts to “remove improper ideology” from the institution, including its 21 museums that include 11 along the National Mall in Washington, research centers, and the National Zoo. Mr. Vance will work with the White House’s budget office to ensure that future funding is not spent on programs that “degrade shared American values, divide Americans based on race, or promote programs or ideologies inconsistent with federal law and policy.”Mr. Trump’s order also seeks to restore monuments, including confederate statues, that have been removed from public display since January 2020 due to what he says “perpetuate a false reconstruction of American history, inappropriately minimize the value of certain historical events or figures, or include any other improper partisan ideology.”The move represents the latest by Mr. Trump against universities and the arts, which he believes are at odds with conservative values. He recently took on the role of chairman at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, aiming to revamp its programming, including the prestigious Kennedy Center Honors awards show.The administration also recently pressured Columbia University to implement several policy changes by threatening to withhold hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding.

‘Remove Improper Ideology’: Trump Order Targets the Smithsonian and Other D.C. Museums

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