House Republicans are threatening to reduce or restrict the Smithsonian’s federal funding, arguing that its presentation of American history is politically biased or “woke”. The dispute matters because the Smithsonian is a publicly funded national museum system, and Congress can use spending conditions to influence its operations.

Representative Andrew Clyde, a Republican on the House Appropriations Committee, said the institution should be accountable to taxpayers. He suggested that Congress could either cut funding in specific areas or make funding conditional on requirements intended to change how the Smithsonian teaches history.