Republicans and Democrats locked horns at a tense Capitol Hill hearing on 22 July over the ideological direction of the Smithsonian Institution, with each side accusing the other of attempting to distort American history — a confrontation that laid bare the deepening culture war gripping the United States during its 250th anniversary year.

What the Hearing Was About

The session was convened by the House Oversight and Accountability Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiencies. Subcommittee Chairman Tim Burchett opened proceedings by alleging that the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History had abandoned its founding mission and had instead become, in his words, 'infected by a woke ideology' visible in its exhibits, educational materials and institutional planning.

'The American story is the birth and growth of a great nation founded on powerful ideals,' Burchett said. 'But in the museum's current telling, history is just an ongoing power struggle between oppressors and the oppressed.'

Burchett cited a recent White House Domestic Policy Council report that criticised the museum's exhibits and leadership, particularly targeting director Anthea Hartig, and accused the institution of focusing excessively on race, gender, sexuality, immigration and economic inequality.

What Museum Director Anthea Hartig Said

Hartig firmly rejected those allegations, telling lawmakers the museum remained committed to scholarship, accuracy, independence and non-partisanship.

'The museum does not take sides in America's political debates,' she said. 'We preserve and document the evidence of American life in all of its breadth so that the public can encounter the past and draw their own conclusions.'

She also pushed back on the charge of historical revisionism: 'When historians talk about reframing a traditional narrative, we don't mean erasing it. We mean adding the evidence, the voices, the objects that earlier tellings left out so that more Americans can see themselves reflected in the national story.'

The hearing repeatedly veered into exchanges over exhibits addressing race, gender identity and sexuality. Republican members Nancy Mace, Lauren Boebert and Brandon Gill pressed Hartig over displays involving LGBTQ themes and drag culture. Hartig declined to answer several questions framed in ideological terms, maintaining that the institution sought to represent all Americans while remaining historically accurate.

Republican Witnesses Call for Leadership Overhaul

Michael Gonzalez of the Heritage Foundation, appearing as a Republican witness, argued that the Smithsonian had abandoned its educational mission in favour of social activism. 'Teaching lessons about American wickedness is now the mission of the Smithsonian,' he testified, urging Congress to 'clean house and relieve all Smithsonian leadership of their duties.'

Matthew Spalding of Hillsdale College similarly argued that the museum had substituted America's traditional historical narrative with an ideological framework centred on oppression and social transformation. 'The National Museum of American History should tell the American national story,' Spalding said. 'Nothing integral to that history should be erased or whitewashed, but social transformation should not be the objective.'

Democrats Warn of Political Interference

Ranking Member Melanie Stansbury accused the Trump administration of seeking political control over historical scholarship. 'The Smithsonian Institution does not belong to the president. It does not belong to a political party. It belongs to the American people,' she said. 'When politicians begin deciding what facts are acceptable, scholarship ceases to be scholarship. It becomes propaganda.'

Stansbury announced legislation titled the Smithsonian Integrity and Historical Independence Act, which would prohibit federal officials from interfering in the historical interpretation of Smithsonian museums.

Representative Maxwell Frost argued that museums must present 'the full story', including slavery and segregation. Representative James Walkinshaw criticised the administration over the temporary removal of military webpages honouring Jackie Robinson, the Tuskegee Airmen and Navajo Code Talkers. Representatives Ayanna Pressley and Jasmine Crockett described the campaign against museums as part of an effort to 'erase history.'

Historians Sound the Alarm

Yale historian David Blight, appearing as a witness, warned against allowing political leaders to dictate historical interpretation. 'The recent report by the White House Domestic Policy Council is nothing less than a declaration of political war on the historian's profession,' he said. 'Historians are not voices of the state. We are keepers of memory.'

The hearing follows President Donald Trump's executive order directing a review of exhibits at federally supported museums and historical sites as part of a stated effort to 'restore truth and sanity to American history.' Earlier this month, the White House Domestic Policy Council released a detailed report criticising several Smithsonian exhibits and programmes, setting the stage for the congressional confrontation. With proposed legislation now on the table and no sign of either side backing down, the battle over who controls America's historical narrative is set to intensify.