House Republicans are investigating the Smithsonian Institution after an internal watchdog reviewed a museum exhibition addressing the destruction of civilian homes in military conflicts, raising questions about historical accuracy and the institution’s oversight of politically sensitive displays.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
WASHINGTON — Two Republican lawmakers are demanding internal Smithsonian Institution records following an inspector general investigation into an exhibition that connected U.S. military operations with the concept of “domicide,” the deliberate destruction of homes to cause human suffering.
Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., chairman of the House Oversight Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency, and Rep. Brian Jack, R-Ga., sent the records request to Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie Bunch III, challenging the institution’s procedures for reviewing potentially controversial museum content.
The request, announced Wednesday, Oct. 28, follows a June inspector general report examining an installation at the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum in New York.
According to the House Oversight Committee’s announcement, the installation was part of Making Home—Smithsonian Design Triennial and originally proposed to present 10 New York City buildings within a single room.
The lawmakers said the concept subsequently changed to focus on homes destroyed by American-made weapons during military operations involving ISIS and other terrorist organizations.
“This originally uncontroversial proposal was turned into a display of homes destroyed by American-made munitions in various military engagements against ISIS and other terrorist organizations,” Burchett and Jack wrote.
The lawmakers alleged that the exhibition’s organizers sought to connect the destruction of civilian housing with American military doctrine and the nation’s founding principles.
“Organizers explained they wanted to portray American military doctrine and even America’s founding as being intertwined with ‘domicide,’ defined as ‘the massive and deliberate destruction of homes in order to cause human suffering,’” they wrote.
The accusations were also detailed in a Just the News report published Wednesday.
The lawmakers argued that such portrayals require particularly careful review because the Smithsonian is a publicly supported institution responsible for presenting reliable historical information.
“The Subcommittee is concerned that the Smithsonian has cultivated a scholarly community that supports insinuations that the deliberate destruction of homes to intentionally cause human suffering is intertwined with the military doctrine of the United States,” they wrote.
The allegations concern the exhibition’s interpretation of military history. The lawmakers’ statements do not independently establish that deliberate destruction of civilian homes is an official doctrine of the U.S. military.
The inquiry focuses on Smithsonian Directive 603, a policy governing the review of proposed exhibitions involving sensitive or potentially controversial subjects.
A June 30 report by the Smithsonian’s Office of Inspector General identified opportunities to strengthen the institution’s content review process. The watchdog examined the Patterns of Life installation at the Cooper Hewitt museum as a case study.
Burchett and Jack said the report found that Directive 603 lacked sufficiently clear procedures and objectives for reviewing controversial exhibition content.
The lawmakers are requesting records showing how the directive was developed, implemented and potentially revised, including documents addressing the handling of sensitive displays.
They also want to examine whether the Smithsonian made changes that weakened oversight or allowed exhibitions to proceed without adequate review.
The institution previously defended the importance of scholarly independence while acknowledging its obligation to provide accurate information.
“We must meet our obligations of accuracy and relevance to the public we serve,” the Smithsonian wrote in a response cited by the lawmakers. “We must do so without discouraging inquiry and the creativity of our scholarly community.”
According to the congressional announcement, the Smithsonian informed the inspector general that some improvements to its review procedures had already been completed, while others remained underway in 2026.
The new inquiry follows a July 21 congressional hearing examining allegations that Smithsonian museums presented American history through an excessively political perspective.
That hearing followed a July 4 White House report criticizing exhibitions at the National Museum of American History, particularly those addressing race, class, gender and sexuality.
Republican lawmakers have argued that federally supported museums should provide historically accurate presentations rather than advance political interpretations.
Critics of the administration’s campaign against the Smithsonian have countered that political intervention could undermine the institution’s independence and discourage museums from examining difficult chapters of American history.
The dispute has intensified under President Donald Trump, whose administration has sought greater oversight of Smithsonian exhibitions and educational programming.
The current records request specifically concerns the museum’s internal review system and whether existing safeguards adequately address accuracy and politically sensitive subjects.
The lawmakers have not announced findings establishing that the Smithsonian deliberately misrepresented U.S. military doctrine. Their investigation remains focused on the exhibition’s development and the institution’s handling of the content review process.
The Smithsonian’s response to the latest document request will help determine whether the subcommittee pursues additional oversight measures.
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