Hoyer Statement on the Retirement of Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III

September 8, 2026 Press Release Hoyer Statement on the Retirement of Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congressman Steny H. Hoyer (MD-05) issued the following statement after Secretary of the Smithsonian Lonnie G. Bunch III announced his plans to retire: “For the past seven years, Lonnie Bunch has led the Smithsonian with a deft hand and a passion for its mission. He has skillfully navigated challenges to the institution’s independence and academic integrity, and the Smithsonian has benefited from his strong leadership and unique cascade of talents. “Earlier, as the founding Director and principal architect who collaborated with John Lewis and other major African-American leaders, including from the Congressional Black Caucus, Secretary Bunch created one of the premier institutions teaching and preserving African-American history and culture. “I am extremely disappointed that a world-class institution is losing a world-class leader. The next leader of the Smithsonian must be someone like Secretary Bunch who will fight to preserve its independence. We must not allow political interference to shape how visitors experience the art, history, and science presented at Smithsonian facilities. They must be based on facts and on expert interpretation by respected scholars, not based on ideology. “Sadly, Secretary Bunch is the latest casualty of this Administration’s war on intellectual honesty and the complex facts of our history. This President and his advisors have no shame or regard for the truth, ordering messages to be posted in front of the Smithsonian Museum of American History and other places promoting revisionist, partisan interpretations of our past. “I look forward to engaging with the Board of Regents and with key Congressional colleagues to ensure that the process to select the fifteenth Secretary of the Smithsonian is fair, open, and unblemished by political interference.”