This Act codifies a policy mandating that federal history sites present American history as uplifting and inspirational, while prohibiting the promotion of divisive or ideological narratives, particularly concerning race and gender identity.
Keith Self
Representative
TX-3
The Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History Act seeks to codify existing policy to ensure federal history sites present a "solemn and uplifting" view of American heritage. The bill mandates that federal museums and parks cease promoting ideological narratives that Congress views as divisive, focusing instead on national achievements and progress. It specifically directs federal officials to review and potentially remove content in institutions like the Smithsonian that allegedly degrade shared American values or promote racial division. Furthermore, it ties future Smithsonian funding to compliance with these new standards, particularly regarding the American Women's History Museum.
Federal History Mandate: New Bill Forces Smithsonian to Present 'Uplifting' History, Restricts Funding for 'Divisive' Exhibits
The “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History Act” is a piece of legislation that takes an existing Executive Order (EO 14253) and converts it into permanent federal law. Simply put, this bill mandates a specific, government-approved narrative for how American history must be presented at all federal sites, including the Smithsonian museums and National Parks. The core policy goal is to ensure these sites are “solemn and uplifting” monuments that promote national unity and focus on American achievements, explicitly rejecting historical interpretations that highlight flaws like racism or sexism, which the bill calls “ideological narratives” that promote “national shame.”
Who’s In Charge of the Story Now?
This bill hands a significant amount of curatorial power to political appointees. It tasks the Vice President, working with the Domestic Policy advisor, to ensure the Smithsonian Institution—including the museums and the National Zoo—adheres to this new, mandated historical vision (SEC. 2). This includes taking steps to actively remove anything from these properties that violates the policy or is deemed to divide Americans based on race. Think about it: the people running the country are now also the editors-in-chief of the nation’s history exhibits. If you’re a museum curator or historian working at a federal site, your professional judgment about historical context and complexity could be completely overridden by a political mandate.
The Funding Hammer and the Culture Wars
Perhaps the most practical mechanism in this bill is the financial control it exerts. The law requires the Vice President and the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to work with Congress to make sure that future Smithsonian funding specifically prohibits spending money on exhibits or programs that degrade “shared American values,” divide people by race, or promote ideologies inconsistent with the Act (SEC. 2). This is a massive lever. If the Smithsonian wants its budget, it must conform to the new historical narrative. For the American Women's History Museum, the bill gets even more specific, stating that the museum must not recognize men as women in any way, which explicitly bans content promoting biological males competing in women's sports or celebrating gender-affirming medicine, especially for minors. This essentially weaponizes the federal budget to enforce specific cultural and social viewpoints in historical exhibits.
The Monument Cleanup Crew
The law also looks backward, instructing the Secretary of the Interior to investigate whether any public monuments, statues, or markers under their control have been changed or removed since January 1, 2020, to promote a “false history,” divide people by race, or push an “improper partisan idea” (SEC. 2). If the Secretary finds such instances, they are required to take action to put the original monuments back, where appropriate. If you live in a city or town near a national park or monument that saw a controversial statue removed during the social unrest of 2020, this bill could force the Department of the Interior to restore it, potentially reigniting local debates and conflicts over public space and historical memory.
The Fine Print: What This Means on the Ground
For the average person, this bill means that when you visit a federal museum—say, the National Museum of African American History and Culture or the National Park Service’s museum at Independence Hall—the interpretation of history you encounter will be significantly restricted by political criteria. Historical analysis that focuses on systemic issues like slavery or racial inequality might be minimized or reframed to fit the “uplifting” mandate. While the bill does require infrastructure improvements at Independence National Historical Park by July 4, 2026, the overall focus is on controlling the story told within those walls. The major challenge here is the vagueness: terms like “divisive” and “ideological narratives” are highly subjective, giving political officials wide latitude to censor content that simply doesn't align with their preferred version of American history.