Smithsonian Integrity and Historical Independence Act of 2026

This Act may be cited as the Smithsonian Integrity and Historical Independence Act of 2026.

The Congress finds the following:

(1) Museums, archives, and cultural institutions supported by the taxpayer serve the American people by preserving, researching, and interpreting the Nation’s history and heritage.

(2) The United States has a responsibility to ensure that these institutions present accurate, evidence-based accounts of American history, including achievements, conflicts, injustices, and the experiences of diverse communities.

(3) Scholarly independence and professional standards in museums are essential to maintaining public trust.

(4) Government officials have a legitimate role in oversight of taxpayer-funded institutions but should not direct historical conclusions, suppress scholarship, or require institutions to adopt particular political viewpoints.

(5) Public confidence in museums, archives, and cultural institutions depends on transparency, accountability, and freedom from partisan interference.

(6) America’s history includes both extraordinary achievements and painful chapters.

(7) Museums should not avoid difficult historical truths, nor should they serve as instruments of partisan political messaging.

(a) In general. A Federal official may not carry out any of the following:

(1) Require the Smithsonian Institution to adopt a particular interpretation of events based solely on the political preference or belief of the official.

(2) Request, cause, direct, order, or carry out the removal, alteration, or prohibition of the content of a material, an exhibit, educational programming, a research publication, or a historical item in the Smithsonian Institution solely because the content includes a discussion or reference to a controversial or politically sensitive aspect of American history.

(3) Impose, as a term or condition for Federal funding, a requirement that the Smithsonian Institution endorse or include a particular viewpoint.

(b) Duty To report interference attempts. An employee or agent of, or an individual affiliated with, the Smithsonian Institution shall report any action described in subsection (a) or an attempt or threat to carry out such action to the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, in accordance with procedures to be prescribed by the Secretary through regulations.

(c) Notification of interference attempts to the Congress. Not later than 30 days after the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution receives a report under subsection (b), the Secretary, or a designee of the Secretary, shall submit to the Committee on House Administration of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Rules and Administration of the Senate a notice of the report.

(d) Federal official defined. In this section, the term Federal official means the President, the Vice President, or an individual in the civil service or the uniformed services, as such terms are defined in section 2101 of title 5, United States Code, who is not any of the following:

(1) The Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution.

(2) An individual who is a member of the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution, when such individual is acting in the official capacity of such member.

(3) An employee or agent of, or an individual affiliated with, the Smithsonian Institution.