The Smithsonian Foundation confirmed its independence on Monday evening in a statement that can be read as a rejection of President in late May to President Trump The launch of the director of the National Photo Gallery Kim Sagit.
Smithsonian statement said that the organization’s secretary, Loni J. Banch, “has the support of the Referees Council in its authority and management of Samithonian.” The statement indicated that all employee decisions will be made by Bunch, not Trump.
This announcement came after a long -awaited meeting of the Council of Referees to discuss the fate of Sagit. Washington Post mentioned this Sajit continued calmly attending to work every day After Trump’s social media publication, who said he was shooting Sagit for being “a very party person, and a strong supporter of Dei.”
On Monday, Smithsonian’s statement was not stated that Sagit will remain in her position, and the Foundation did not respond to the Times issue on this issue. But the text of the statement is clear in its intention, starting with: “In 1846, the Congress created Smithsonian as an independent entity.”
It continues: “Throughout its history, Smithsonian was governing and managed by the Referees Council and a secretary.
Smithsonian’s move comes shortly after the White House proposal to a 12 % reduction in Smithsonian financing in the 2026 budget – including the elimination of the funding of the National Latin Museum, which aims to open it in or near the National Trade Center; The Anacostia Society Museum, which opened in 1967 and honors black culture.
Smithsonian has become a goal for Trump from March 27, When he issued an executive order entitled “Restore truth and mind to American history.” This called for the end of federal funding for exhibitions and programs based on ethnic topics that “divide the Americans”.
“The respected was widely as a symbol of American excellence and a global symbol of cultural achievement. In recent years, the Smithsonian Foundation has been subjected to an exciting ideology of fraud.” It also issued the instructions of Vice President JD Vance to remove an “inappropriate ideology” from the Smithsonian Museum 21 and the National Zoo in Washington.
Follow Trump’s ongoing attempts to reshape federal cultural institutions, including February seizure of the Kennedy Center.
One of the main differences between the Kennedy Center and the Smithsonian Council: The Board of Directors of the Kennedy Center has been appointed by the President, but the Board of Directors of Smithsonian consists of officials representing all the three branches of the government. Vans in the Referees Council in Smithsonian, as well as the head of judges John J. Roberts.
“Since its inception, Smithsonian has begun to be an non -partisan institution,” as stated in the statement on Monday. As the Museum of the Nation, Smithsonian must be a welcome place for knowledge and discovery for all Americans.
“To enhance our non -party position, the Referees Council directed the secretary to express specific expectations for museum managers and employees regarding the content in Smithsonian museums, and giving managers reasonable to make any changes required to ensure unbiased content, and reporting reporting the council when applying for progress in success in success in making changes changes.”
