Amna Nawaz
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WATCH: David Blight makes opening statement in hearing on how Smithsonian presents history
Posted
July 21, 2026
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July 21, 2026
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5:37Now PlayingDavid Blight, professor of American history at Yale University, made an opening statement Tuesday in a hearing focused on the way the Smithsonian Institution presents scholarship on U.S. history.
In announcing the hearing, the Republican-led House Oversight Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency claimed that the “Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History is promoting a narrow, politically tendentious agenda instead of seeking to instill in visitors an appreciation for America’s unique history as a beacon of liberty, democracy, and opportunity.”
In President Donald Trump’s second term, his administration has sought to clamp down on how American history is framed in public spaces, removing exhibits from national parks on slavery and violence against Native Americans. On July 4, the White House released a 162-page report called “Saving America’s Story” that alleged that the National Museum of American History has moved “away from straightforward historical education and scholarship toward an extreme political activism that seeks to transform our country.”
The Smithsonian has pushed back against that characterization.
“For more than 180 years, the Smithsonian has served the American public with nonpartisan and independent scholarship, and we remain committed to doing so,” it said in a statement earlier this month.
The hearing is one of two scheduled for this week in the House focused on the Smithsonian.
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