Congressional Republicans’ scrutiny of the Smithsonian intensified this week, exposing a sharp divide within Maryland’s congressional delegation over who should decide how America’s history is told in the nation’s museums.

Rep. Kweisi Mfume, a Baltimore Democrat, accused the Trump administration of trying to erase Black history, while Rep. Andy Harris, the state’s lone Republican in Congress, said federally funded museums should place greater emphasis on patriotism than what he called “wokeness.”

The dispute played out over back-to-back congressional hearings Tuesday and Wednesday examining the Smithsonian Institution, a result of White House criticism of exhibits at the National Museum of American History that the administration says portray the nation’s past too negatively.

The hearings reflect a broader national debate over how federally funded museums should present American history. Republicans say the Smithsonian has placed too much emphasis on race, gender identity and the nation’s failures, while museum officials and Democrats say confronting difficult chapters like slavery and segregation is essential to presenting an accurate and complete account of the country’s past.

It’s also significant for Maryland residents. Most Smithsonian museums sit just across the Potomac River and have long served as key cultural and educational destinations for the region. The institution also operates several research and storage facilities in Maryland, including the Environmental Research Center in Edgewater and the Museum Support Center in Suitland.

In a July 4 report, the White House Domestic Policy Council said the National Museum of American History places too much emphasis on oppression and division while giving too little attention to the country’s founding, democratic ideals and achievements. The report criticized exhibits discussing slavery among the Founding Fathers, anti-Chinese violence and gender identity, saying the museum should present American history in a way that is “inspiring, unifying, and worthy of our great republic.”

‘If you erase it, we will replace it’

Speaking Tuesday before a House Oversight subcommittee, Mfume delivered an impassioned defense of the Smithsonian, particularly the National Museum of African American History and Culture, saying efforts to reshape its exhibits amount to an attempt to erase parts of the nation’s history.

Drawing on his own childhood growing up under segregation, the Baltimore native said the nation’s museums have a responsibility to preserve both America’s achievements and its failures. “We will not let you destroy that museum,” he said. “That history is too sacred. It is too precious, and it will not be erased.”

“Black people across this country are outraged at what is happening now with these efforts to do away with the African American Museum and all of the Smithsonian,” Mfume said. “If you erase it, we will replace it.”

Harris offered a starkly different view.

“Wokeness has no place in the Smithsonian,” Harris said in a Wednesday statement to The Baltimore Sun. “America, although not perfect, is the greatest country the world has ever known, and our federally funded museums should reflect that pride.”

Museum leaders defend mission

Continuing Wednesday, National Museum of American History Director Anthea Hartig testified before the House Administration Committee, maintaining that the museum’s role is preserving “the full sweep of our history, the triumphs and the struggles.”

Republicans said the museum has drifted from its mission of fostering patriotism, saying exhibits should present slavery, segregation and other painful chapters alongside the nation’s accomplishments rather than allowing those subjects to dominate the narrative. Committee Chair Bryan Steil said taxpayer-funded exhibits increasingly “denigrate our founders, diminish our achievements, and seek to divide the American people.”

Hartig rejected that characterization, saying the museum’s exhibits are grounded in scholarship and historical evidence rather than politics. “The museum does not take sides in America’s political debates,” she said, adding that visitors routinely stand before the Star-Spangled Banner with their hands over their hearts.

The hearings marked the latest chapter in the administration’s effort to reshape federally funded cultural institutions, with Maryland’s congressional delegation split over what Americans should see — and learn — when they walk through the Smithsonian’s doors.

The White House did not respond to The Sun’s request for comment by print publication.

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