Policy brief·Washington
AAM defends Smithsonian's independence against Interior Department letter
The American Alliance of Museums published a statement on 3 September 2026 rejecting an 28 August Department of the Interior letter and defending the independence of the Smithsonian and America's museums, reaffirming its 20 July position.
The American Alliance of Museums issued a statement on 3 September 2026 defending the independence of the Smithsonian and America's museums, rejecting a letter sent by the Department of the Interior on 28 August. The statement reaffirms the Alliance's earlier position of 20 July and frames the Interior Department's intervention as a threat to curatorial independence. The dispute places museum governance and political interference at the centre of the US cultural debate this autumn.
