The Trump administration proposed Smithsonian budgets below $1 billion for fiscal 2026 and 2027, the first such requests since fiscal 2020 and the institution's smallest in years.
The cuts accompany a push to purge what the White House calls "woke" ideology from federally funded museums, after accusing Smithsonian exhibits of favoring activism over history.
A 16-month review examined exhibits, educational programs, internal records and leadership statements, then produced a 162-page report recommending broad changes to exhibits, programming, leadership and spending.
The fight reaches an institution that runs 21 museums, the National Zoo and nearly 157 million objects and specimens while receiving more than $1 billion a year in federal support.
Congress still must decide whether to adopt the lower funding levels, but the proposal shows the administration using both executive power and budget pressure to reshape the Smithsonian.