Trump Proposes Lowest Smithsonian Budget in Years
But while those numbers are still preliminary, there are other, quieter ways in which the White House is trying to control how the institution uses available funding.
Steady on its warpath against the Smithsonian, the White House proposed the smallest federal budget of the decade for the institution earlier this year. But while these preliminary numbers make headlines, quieter measures may pose other funding hurdles for the museum and research network.
The President's budget for Fiscal Year (FY) 2027, outlined in a House subcommittee appropriations bill approved this June, proposes an allotment of $961.3 million in federal funds for the Smithsonian — about 11% below FY26’s $1.08 billion budget.
The outlined FY27 figure for the Smithsonian's salaries and expenses comes out to $841.3 million, while the allotment for facilities maintenance and capital projects amounts to $120 million for the second year in a row. The White House budget request also outlines a projected 6% reduction in full-time Smithsonian staff, dropping from an estimated 4,047 employees to a proposed 3,804.
The pared resources fall in line with the Trump administration's punitive fixation with the Smithsonian, which has been routinely accused of pushing a so-called “woke” agenda through exhibitions, programming, and other public-facing materials across the 21 museums and national zoo.
However, the figures are far from final at this stage, explained Mark B. Harkins, a congressional expert and senior fellow at the Government Affairs Institute at Georgetown University.
