A Republican-led House Oversight subcommittee has requested that the director of the National Museum of American History (NMAH), Anthea Hartig, testify next Tuesday regarding exhibits that critics have labeled as "woke," "divisive," and "politically tendentious."
The demand follows a White House report released last week, which concluded that the Smithsonian Institution's leadership "cannot be trusted to tell America’s story honestly and in a way that is inspiring, unifying, and worthy of our great republic."
Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency (DOGE) Chairman Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) stated in a letter to Hartig, obtained by The Post, that the Smithsonian Institution, which receives a significant portion of its funding from the federal government, "should serve the American people, not promote an ideologically charged agenda."
Burchett indicated that Congress and the public need to understand why they should continue to fund the NMAH, citing concerns raised in the report by the Domestic Policy Council (DPC) and Hartig's own public remarks about the role of public history. The DPC report specifically accused the museum of treating traditional patriotic narratives with skepticism and downplaying the contributions of the Founding Fathers.
The report also highlighted statements attributed to Hartig, who has led NMAH since 2019, suggesting the museum has worked to "reframe the traditional celebratory narrative of U.S. history" and characterizing history as a "prime tool of social justice." The report further alleged that Hartig believes the museum profession needs to "problematize" the upcoming 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and that "loving America is very complicated."
Additionally, the White House report criticized the museum for focusing on identity politics and presented what it described as "divisive, inappropriate, and factually inaccurate NMAH programming." Burchett stated that these issues collectively suggest that the museum's leaders either misunderstand the nation's heritage or intentionally misrepresent the "American experiment."
The DPC report originated from an executive order issued by President Trump in March of the previous year, directing his administration to identify and counter "divisive narratives" and "improper ideology" within Smithsonian museums. Some observers have speculated that this report and executive order could signal potential changes in the management of the 21-museum network.