The Donald Trump administration is proposing to reduce the federal budget for the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., by submitting the lowest funding request in the last ten years forfiscal year 2027. The plan, included in the White House’s budget proposal, calls for a total allocation of $961.3 million, down from the $1.080 billion approved for 2026, and is accompanied by staff cuts and a major restructuring of the U.S. museum institution’s operations. The proposal marks another chapter in the clash between the Trump administration and the Smithsonian, which has already been the target of White House criticism on several occasions. The new budget now translates those positions into a revision of spending priorities, emphasizing security, the maintenance of the National Mall’s iconic buildings, and the streamlining of activities deemed non-essential.
According to the budget document, the total funding requested for 2027 amounts to $961.3 million. Of this figure, $841.3 million is allocated to personnel and operating expenses, while $120 million will fund the section dedicated to facilities and capital improvements. Compared to fiscal year 2026, when $928.5 million was allocated for salaries and operating expenses and $152 million for facilities, the reduction is significant in both categories but primarily affects infrastructure investments.
In fact, the most substantial cut affects the fund allocated to facilities, which drops from $152 million to $120 million—a decrease of approximately 21 percent. Consequently, the share of the total budget allocated to buildings and maintenance drops from about one-seventh to just over one-eighth of the Smithsonian’s total federal funding.
The institution’s workforce would also be reduced. The total number of employees would drop from 4,100—as projected for 2026—to 3,844 in 2027. The reductions would affect both staff funded through the salaries and expenses budget line item and those employed in activities related to infrastructure investments.
In the document accompanying the budget request, the administration identifies the preservation of historic buildings along Washington’s National Mall —the grand monumental axis that is home to most of the Smithsonian’s museums and the nation’s principal memorials—as a top priority. According to the White House, the iconic nature of the National Mall requires that available resources be focused on the preservation of historic buildings, the strengthening of security, and emergency management. For this reason, the budget provides for an increase in funding for the Office of Protection Services—the agency responsible for the institution’s security—so that it can ensure an adequate response to incidents, emergencies, and the security needs of the Smithsonian’s museums and other facilities.
The section dedicated to capital investments is also primarily directed toward security measures, maintenance, and repairs of the buildings on the National Mall. In fact, more than half of the resources allocated to the Facilities Capital Fund will go directly to the museums located along the Mall, which have been identified as priorities by both the Smithsonian and the federal government.
Alongside the redefinition of infrastructure priorities, the document identifies a series of measures aimed, according to the White House, at improving the Smithsonian’s operational efficiency and reducing its costs. The Trump administration states that the discretionary budget for 2027 is geared toward finding savings and new efficiencies across the federal government.
One of the sectors affected by the cuts is scientific research. The budget calls for a reduction in activities and staff for both the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory and the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center. The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory is allocated $20 million, while the Environmental Research Center would receive $4 million. Both institutions are expected to streamline their operations, reduce staff, and scale back some of their current scientific initiatives.
The review of research activities also affects the Smithsonian’s interdisciplinary centers. Similar to what was already provided for in the previous year’s budget proposal, the document does not allocate any funding to the interdisciplinary programs dedicated to the American Experience and Biodiversity, which would therefore receive no federal funding in 2027. As for the institution’s cross-cutting programs, the budget proposal allocates $7 million for Institution-wide Programs. This funding would allow certain initiatives considered strategic to remain operational, including the Digital Support Pool, the Collections Care and Preservation Fund, and the Research Program Initiatives Pool.
Rationalization measures also affect the Smithsonian Libraries and Archives. $10.1 million is allocated for the institution’s library and archival system. At the same time, the document announces a comprehensive review of the libraries’ organization, with the goal of updating, consolidating, and streamlining their operations in light of the growing importance of digital resources. Throughout 2027, the Smithsonian Libraries and Archives will continue to develop the infrastructure, internal organization, and staff necessary to ensure essential reference and research services. At the same time, the possibility of consolidating certain libraries and transferring an increasing portion of the materials to off-site storage facilities will be evaluated, while ensuring they remain accessible to scholars and the public.
Building maintenance is also being redefined in line with new priorities. The budget allocates $108 million for routine maintenance of facilities, with a particular focus on the most urgent repairs and addressing the maintenance backlog at the National Mall museums, in an effort to reduce the need for costly capital projects. A portion of these resources will also be used to support the operational needs of two recently renovated or newly opened facilities: the National Air and Space Museum in Washington and the new Pod 6 building at the Museum Support Center in Suitland, Maryland.
The proposal must now go through the approval process in the U.S. Congress, which in the coming months will be called upon to review, amend, or confirm the funding requests put forward by the White House. Only at the conclusion of the legislative process will the actual level of funding available to the Smithsonian Institution for fiscal year 2027 be determined.
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| Trump Proposes the Lowest Budget for the Smithsonian in the Last Ten Years |
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