Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History

This executive order directs the Vice President to use his role on the Smithsonian Board of Regents to remove what the administration characterizes as divisive ideological content from Smithsonian institutions. It mandates the Secretary of the Interior to review and restore monuments altered since 2020, and requires OMB and Interior to ensure future Smithsonian appropriations exclude exhibits deemed to degrade American values or divide by race. Independence National Historical Park is to receive infrastructure improvements by July 4, 2026.

Federal Register Open PDF 90 FR 14563

Impact dates

Jul 4, 202647d ago
Independence National Historical Park infrastructure improvements complete

Key directives

Vice President to use Smithsonian Board of Regents role to remove 'improper ideology' from Smithsonian properties
OMB and Vice President to work with Congress to condition future Smithsonian appropriations on prohibiting exhibits that 'degrade shared American values' or divide by race
Women's History Museum must not 'recognize men as women in any respect'
Secretary of Interior to complete Independence National Historical Park infrastructure improvements by July 4, 2026
Secretary of Interior to review monuments altered since January 1, 2020 and reinstate pre-existing versions where deemed appropriate
Interior monuments must not 'inappropriately disparage Americans past or living' and must focus on 'greatness of achievements'

Who is ordered

Timeline

Immediate

Vice President directed to begin working through Smithsonian Board of Regents role
Secretary of Interior directed to begin review of monuments altered since January 1, 2020

Near term (90d)

OMB and Interior to take measures within authority to promote order's policy
Vice President to consult on potential Board of Regents appointments

Long term

Independence National Historical Park infrastructure improvements due by July 4, 2026
Future Smithsonian appropriations to include ideological restrictions

Risks & tensions

First Amendment concerns regarding government content restrictions on museum exhibits
Potential conflict with Smithsonian's congressional charter and independent governance structure
Vague standard of 'improper ideology' or 'degrade shared American values' creates enforcement uncertainty
May face legal challenges on viewpoint discrimination grounds
Subject to appropriations availability limits enforceability of funding conditions
Prior administration policies explicitly targeted but not formally revoked by citation