Posted on 01/24/2025 4:40:04 PM PST by nickcarraway
All eyes are on the Smithsonian following the announcement that the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C. would cancel its diversity, equity and inclusion programs in accordance with an executive order, signed by President Trump’s within hours of taking office, that eliminates all federally funded DEI initiatives.
According to a memo of the United States Office of Personnel Management that was obtained by CBS and confirmed by White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, federal employees in any DEI office were to be put on paid leave “no later than 5:00pm EST on Wednesday” while steps are taken “to close/end all DEIA initiatives, offices and programs.”
But the Smithsonian, which oversees 21 museums, including ones dedicated to American art, portraiture, and African American history and culture, has a unique structure. That means the decision to adhere to Trump’s freshly penned executive order isn’t so clear.
According to the Congressional Research Service, the Smithsonian Institution is unlike other governmental bodies—it is “organizationally separate and distinct from the legislative, executive, or judicial branches of the national government.” Created by Congress in 1846, the Smithsonian Institution’s roots are in a bequest from James Smithson, an English scientist who died in 1829 and left his estate to the federal government. As a result the Smithsonian is a “trust instrumentality of the United States,” overseen by a Board of Regents with representation from all three branches of government.
More importantly, only 53 percent of the Smithsonian’s funding comes from federal appropriations, according to the Institution’s 2023 annual report. The rest of the organization’s revenue comes from contributions and grants, business interests, and endowment payout.
Technically, many Smithsonian employees work for the federal government. The Smithsonian would likely need to comply with aspects of the order related to programs or activities funded by federal appropriations or involving federal employees. However, its trust-funded operations and non-federal staff activities would not fall under the order’s scope.
The National Gallery of Art is not a Smithsonian entity, but its decision to end DEI programs has raised concerns about whether other museums that receive federal funding will follow suit. The Smithsonian’s website still lists a head diversity officer and director of access. Another page notes that Smithsonian Affiliations, a program that allows over 200 museums and organizations to borrow works and share educational strategies with the Smithsonian Institute, still embraces DEAI (diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion) “as part of its organizational story.”
The Smithsonian declined to comment on its DEI program funding, whether its DEAI office employees have been put on leave, or whether it plans on closing down those offices.
Well, hopefully they can survive on 47 percent of their former budget.
Fine. Remove federal funding and staff. Let them go broke with their woke.
“...only 53 percent of the Smithsonian’s funding comes from federal appropriations”...
ONLY?! it’s over half!
If they lose 53% of their funding, I bet they will come around.
The woke cancer is stage 4 at The Smithsonian and has been for years it going to take extreme measures to eradicate it.
Just stop giving them taxpayer dollars. They’ll know what to do.
Maybe they can then survive with a 53% cut in their budget. And that new Space Shuttle the Air and Space Museum got would look good at Mar-a-Lago.
Why don’t they put their money where their mouth is. Burn all their art, and science exhibits from white people. That can bring the justice they seek.
So, what’s the DEI security like around the Hope Diamond?
Asking for a friend.
Force them to release the giant skeletons!
Is the Smithsonian one of the museums that started showing cave women and various primitive women in more action poses after feminists realized that the females were generally portrayed as doing female stuff around the camp fire related to babies clothing and food while the males were shown holding spears or fishing or hunting?
Is the Smithsonian that racist that they need to be forced to hire minorities and sexual deviants?
“federally funded DEI initiatives”
I can’t believe we are paying for that BS
I’m sorry that Jefferson Davis started the Smithsonian.
There are not 4 branches of government.
But, if they Smithsonian wants to go its own way, it can do so without government funding.
The executive, the legislative, the judiciary, the media, the billionaires, and the bureaucracy. The six branches of government.
My thoughts exactly.
Ok - if you're willing to take a 53% pay cut, do your own thing.
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