Amid Trump’s Threats, a Potential Home for Smithsonian Latino Museum
The Smithsonian board will reportedly vote on housing the fledgling institution in the recently reopened Arts & Industries Building — a move that would allow it to bypass Congressional approval.
The Smithsonian Institution's board is set to meet on August 31 to decide whether to house the National Museum of the American Latino (NMAL) in the recently reopened Arts & Industries Building, according to reports from the Washington Examiner and the New York Times. This decision comes as a response to threats from the Trump administration to defund the project entirely.
The NMAL, established in 2020, has been operating in a dedicated gallery within the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History since 2022. Unlike the original plan to locate the museum on or near the National Mall, which required congressional approval, placing the NMAL in the historic Arts & Industries Building would circumvent that necessity.
The NMAL, which aims to "honor the stories, contributions, and impact of Latinos in the United States," has faced criticism from the Trump administration for its perceived "woke" ideologies and programming. A source close to the NMAL told the Times that given the current circumstances, the museum opted to take a risk by betting on congressional approval for a brand-new building.
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