Ranking Member Pingree Statement on Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie Bunch

Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine), the top Democrat on the Appropriations Subcommittee that oversees the Smithsonian Institution, released the following statement on Secretary Lonnie Bunch’s resignation: Secretary Lonnie Bunch is a trailblazing historian and dedicated public servant who has devoted nearly four decades to the Smithsonian. From bringing the National Museum of African American History and Culture to life to becoming the institution’s first Black Secretary, his extraordinary leadership has strengthened the Smithsonian and enriched our nation. Secretary Bunch has guided the Smithsonian through a period of unprecedented political interference while remaining committed to scholarship, expertise, and the public trust. Under his leadership, the Smithsonian continued to do what it does best: tell America’s story truthfully and completely—the good and the bad, the tragic and triumphant. I am deeply grateful for Secretary Bunch’s service and wish him well in his next chapter. His departure comes at a consequential moment for this treasured American institution. As Ranking Member of the subcommittee that oversees the Smithsonian, I will continue fighting to ensure the institution has the resources, expertise, and curatorial independence necessary to fulfill its mission free from White House interference. The Smithsonian belongs to the American people, and no president has the right to erase, soften, or rewrite our history. ###