Trump anti-DEI policies could block Latino and women's history museums from National Mall

The Trump administration’s anti-diversity policies are threatening to upend a bipartisan push to authorize the Smithsonian Institution to build museums dedicated to women and Latinos on the National Mall — additions President Trump approved in his first term.

Two Democratic senators and a House Republican have introduced legislation that would allow the American Women’s History Museum and the National Museum of the American Latino to acquire fields where Congress has banned new construction.

But Mr. Trump’s March 27 executive order forbids the Smithsonian from spending money “on exhibits or programs that degrade shared American values, divide Americans based on race, or promote programs or ideologies inconsistent with Federal law and policy.”

“It’s a clear violation of the president’s order that will foist another extravagant expense on taxpayers and do nothing to help the country,” Peter Wood, president of the conservative National Association of Scholars, said of the proposed museums. “If a woman or Latino has achieved something, it should be honored in existing museums that already deal with those issues.”

However, James Grossman, executive director of the American Historical Association, says the Trump administration shouldn’t block the proposed museums.

“The histories of various demographic groups, whether African American, Irish, German, Jewish, LGBTQ, etc., are not DEI,” Mr. Grossman said.

Since the start of his second term on Jan. 20, Mr. Trump has worked to eradicate diversity, equity and inclusion policies at federal agencies, government contractors, public and private universities, and cultural institutions. Congressional Republicans have strongly supported the president’s efforts.

At the same time, Mr. Trump’s anti-DEI orders have caused confusion among some agencies, where officials have removed materials noting the participation or achievements of women and minorities only to restore them later.

Confusion prevails over the proposed museums to spotlight the singular contributions of women and Latinos to American society: Mr. Trump established the museums as part of a $900 billion spending package he signed in December 2020.

“Celebrating the achievements of American women is not DEI — it’s American history that unites and inspires us,” Rep. Burgess Owens, Utah Republican and Trump ally who co-sponsored the women’s museum legislation, said this month. “There’s a clear difference between telling the true story of our nation’s heroes, whose resilience, faith, grit, and merit helped build this country, and pushing divisive ideologies that tear down rather than lift up the values that make America great.”

The White House did not respond to a request for comment.

A Smithsonian spokesperson said in an email that officials from the two proposed museums could not comment on legislation.

Democratic Sens. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota and Alex Padilla of California this month introduced bills to allow the construction of the women and Latino museums. Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, New York Republican, introduced two companion resolutions in the House in February.

Sens. Cynthia Lummis, Wyoming Republican, and Catherine Cortez Masto, Nevada Democrat, joined Ms. Klobuchar on April 3 in co-sponsoring Senate Bill 1303 to construct the women’s museum.

That same day, Mr. Padilla led all six Latin-American senators — including Republicans Ted Cruz of Texas and Bernie Moreno of Ohio — in co-sponsoring Senate Bill 1304 to erect the Latino museum.

Meanwhile, House Resolution 1329 for the women’s museum has garnered 123 co-sponsors as of this week. They include House Speaker Mike Johnson, Louisiana Republican, and former speaker Nancy Pelosi, California Democrat.

The resolution has more than half of the 218 votes it needs to pass the House.

House Resolution 1330 for the Latino museum has 50 co-sponsors, including 34 Republicans and 16 Democrats.

“The first authorization bill to create this museum was signed during President Trump’s first term,” said CiCi Rojas, board chair of the nonprofit Friends of the National Museum of the American Latino. “We have full faith the president will sign this important piece of legislation so that the Smithsonian can begin construction on the National Mall.”

The Smithsonian Institution operates 21 museums and art galleries as a federal trust. Eleven are clustered around the Mall, where monuments such as the Lincoln Memorial contribute to a steady flow of tourists.

As of last month, the Smithsonian said the American Women’s History Museum had raised more than $65.5 million in private donations on top of its $2 million annual operating budget from Congress.

Since 2020, the museum has operated virtual and roaming exhibits with a small staff. Anthropologist Elizabeth C. Babcock will become its first permanent director on June 3.

Both museums have faced an uphill battle since federal lawmakers first proposed them during the administration of President George W. Bush.

After Congress established the museums in late 2020, the Smithsonian worked with Baltimore-based architectural firm Ayers Saint Gross to review more than 25 possible construction sites.

The Smithsonian announced in October 2022 that two undeveloped fields controlled by the National Park Service in the southwest section of the Mall had “the greatest potential.”

The “Tidal Basin site” is a playing field that borders Raoul Wallenberg Place SW, Maine Avenue SW and Independence Avenue SW, just west of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum and east of the basin.

The “South Monument site” on Jefferson Drive SW sits across the Mall from the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

Efforts to grant an exemption to a provision in the 2020 law banning construction at both sites floundered under the Biden administration.

Museum advocates had hoped bipartisan support for an exemption would emerge in lame-duck budget negotiations after the November 2022 midterm elections. But Congress failed to act on the proposal, missing a deadline to select construction sites by 2023.

Omekongo Dibinga, a professor of intercultural communications affiliated with American University’s Antiracist Research and Policy Center, said the museums’ fate remains uncertain because DEI “means whatever Trump wants it to mean in the moment.”

“So on its face, this is a violation of his DEI initiatives, but if folks are really paying attention, he’s only directly going after Black people and trans people,” Mr. Dibinga said. “It’s disgraceful.”