The Trump administration is proposing the smallest Smithsonian budget request in years, seeking to push the institution's annual federal funding below $1 billion as part of a broader campaign against what it describes as «woke» ideology in federally funded museums and programs.
An analysis of Smithsonian budget requests shows the institution submitted steadily larger requests during the Biden administration, with annual funding requests rising from $1.11 billion in fiscal year 2021 to a record $1.24 billion in fiscal year 2024. The fiscal year 2025 request also came in above $1 billion. The White House has now proposed reducing the institution's request below that threshold for fiscal years 2026 and 2027, the first time since fiscal year 2020 that the Smithsonian's annual request would fall below $1 billion.
The proposed reduction is the latest step in an administration effort to reshape the Smithsonian, which officials argue has promoted ideological narratives at odds with its mission. The White House has directed the institution to change its exhibits, programming, leadership and spending priorities.
Over the past 16 months, the administration has conducted what it describes as one of the most extensive reviews of the Smithsonian in decades. That review has included examinations of museum exhibits, educational programming, internal records and leadership statements, along with multiple document requests, interviews with curators and on-site museum walkthroughs.
The review culminated in a 162-page White House report recommending sweeping reforms, followed by a new round of executive actions intended to put those recommendations into effect. The administration has ordered the Smithsonian to promote what it describes as a more accurate portrayal of American history while scrutinizing exhibits, programming and leadership across the museum complex.
The Smithsonian operates 21 museums, the National Zoo and nearly 157 million objects and specimens. It receives more than $1 billion annually in federal funding, supplemented by private donations and other trust revenue, making the institution one of the largest federally supported cultural organizations in the country.
The taxpayer-supported Smithsonian has become a central battleground in a broader national debate over patriotism, historical interpretation and the role of federally funded cultural institutions in shaping how Americans understand their past. The administration's push has drawn attention not only to the Smithsonian's exhibits but also to the people who lead them, the programs they create and the way taxpayer money is used to support those efforts.
Whether Congress will adopt the proposed funding levels remains unclear. Budget decisions are ultimately made by lawmakers, and the administration's request is only part of the annual appropriations process. Still, the combination of executive orders, museum reviews and the White House report signals that the administration intends to use both policy and federal funding to reshape one of the nation's largest cultural institutions.
The Smithsonian Institution did not immediately respond to a request for comment.