The Trump administration has threatened to end federal agencies’ cooperation with the Smithsonian Institution, escalating a months-long dispute over the museum’s leadership, diversity practices, and historical exhibits. In a letter, administration officials suggested executive departments can no longer support the Smithsonian and requested a meeting to address allegations that the institution may have violated federal anti-discrimination law.

The clash follows an earlier White House report accusing the National Museum of American History of anti-Americanism and political activism, a characterization rejected by Smithsonian leadership. In addition to the potential cutoff of informal agency cooperation—which could affect artifact loans and joint grants—the administration has proposed cutting the Smithsonian’s federal funding to about 961 million dollars for fiscal year 2027.