Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski takes a stand against President Donald Trump-ordered warning signs outside the Smithsonian, vows to ‘fight like hell’
Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, joined Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., in challenging the Trump administration‘s plan to install warning signs outside the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History, marking a notable break from Republican leadership.
In a letter sent, Murkowski and Merkley pressed Interior Secretary Doug Burgum for details about the directive, which stems from President Donald Trump‘s executive order targeting the museum’s exhibits.
Merkley told Newsweek in an emailed statement, “The President’s proposed cuts to the Smithsonian Institution directly threaten the agency’s mission to present America’s history, arts and sciences. I’ll fight like hell to ensure these cuts never become law and that the institution can continue to tell all of America’s story for generations to come.”
Newsweek reached out to the White House, the Interior Department and Murkowski’s office by email Saturday for comment.
What the letter says
Murkowski, chair of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment and Related Agencies and Merkley, the panel’s ranking member, questioned whether the National Park Service had ever been used to challenge the scholarly work of another federal entity.
They also sought a breakdown of how taxpayer money would be used to fund the proposed signs.
“For the past 180 years, the Smithsonian Institution has been committed to sharing objective historical evidence through research and education, not political narratives,” the senators wrote, according to the letter published by The Hill and Merkley’s Senate office.
They added that “the Smithsonian Institution has worked tirelessly to present a comprehensive narrative of our nation’s amazing history, from its many triumphs to its trials.”
The executive order behind the dispute
The senators’ letter addresses Executive Order 14416, titled “Restoring Trust in the Smithsonian Institution,” which Trump signed in late July 2026.
The order followed a White House Domestic Policy Council review accusing the National Museum of American History of emphasizing social justice themes at the expense of American achievements.
Under the order, Burgum, National Park Service Director Jessica Bowron and the White House domestic policy office are directed to install temporary signs and exhibits on NPS-managed sidewalks, walkways and land surrounding the museum.
The signs are intended to alert visitors to what the administration describes as inaccuracies in the museum’s exhibits and direct them to alternative sources of information.
The order cites a 162-page White House, titled “Saving America’s Story: How Ideological Capture at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History Erases Our Heritage.”
The report argues that the museum no longer presents American history as “a shared national inheritance” and accuses Smithsonian leadership of using exhibits to promote social justice causes rather than historical scholarship.
Murkowski’s history of breaking with her party
Murkowski has repeatedly diverged from Republican leadership.
She voted to convict Trump during his impeachment trial following the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.
She also announced that she would oppose Todd Blanche’s nomination for attorney general. Murkowski described Blanche as “decent and capable” and credited him with “several noteworthy decisions” as acting attorney general that she said benefited Alaska and the nation.
Murkowski said she was concerned about the growing politicization and, in her words, “weaponization” of the Justice Department.
She cited the handling of files related to Jeffrey Epstein and immunity protections granted to Trump, his family and their businesses as part of an IRS settlement.
The Smithsonian’s response
A Smithsonian spokesperson previously told Newsweek: “For more than 180 years, the Smithsonian has served the American public with nonpartisan and independent scholarship and we remain committed to doing so.”
National Museum of American History Director Anthea Hartig has also rejected the White House’s characterization of the museum.
Hartig told lawmakers that the museum follows rigorous historical scholarship while presenting both the country’s achievements and its shortcomings, according to The New York Times.