Congress funds $5M Smithsonian exhibit condemning sitting president as tyrant.
H.R. 10765 — Preserving and Remembering the History of Trump and other Tyrants Act · Filed by Jamie Raskin (D-MD) · Introduced Oct 6, 2026 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This bill directs the Smithsonian Institution to create a permanent exhibition documenting Trump's presidencies (2017–2021, 2025–2029) as examples of governmental propaganda, corruption, and authoritarianism. It requires collection of artifacts including self-portrait banners, citizen testimonies, and media records, and mandates that the National Park Service remove unauthorized signage posted under a Trump executive order while posting counter-signage explaining Congress's authority. The bill appropriates $5 million and frames the exhibition within a broader American historical struggle against autocracy.
Why we flagged it
The bill's operative mechanism is not historical preservation but rather the use of federal institutions and taxpayer funds to broadcast a coordinated partisan political message condemning a sitting president. The exhibition, signage requirements, and counter-signage mandate are designed to amplify Congress's political judgment, not to serve a neutral historical or educational function.
What the text implies
- Sets precedent for future Congresses to use federal museums and public grounds as partisan political platforms against sitting or recent presidents.
- Converts the Smithsonian Institution from a neutral civic institution into a tool of legislative political messaging, potentially undermining public trust in federal museums.
- Mandates that NPS maintain counter-signage indefinitely if the executive branch continues to post signage, creating a permanent partisan display on federal property.
- The bill's framing of Trump's policies as 'authoritarianism' and 'tyranny' is a legislative judgment presented as historical fact, blurring the line between political opposition and institutional neutrality.
- Appropriates $5M in taxpayer funds for what is functionally a political campaign message rather than a historical or educational project.
Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.
Who it affects
This bill uses federal institutions and taxpayer funds ($5M) to mount a partisan political attack on a sitting president, converting the Smithsonian and National Park Service into instruments of congressional messaging rather than neutral civic spaces. Citizens lose the expectation that federal museums and public grounds remain non-partisan, and the precedent invites future Congresses to weaponize federal property for political condemnation of their opponents.
Named in the bill
Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of American History, National Park Service, Department of Interior, Executive Order 14416, 119th Congress, Donald J. Trump
Where it stands
- Oct 6, 2026 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
- Oct 6, 2026 — Referred to House Committee on Natural Resources and House Committee on House Administration · Congress.gov: “Referred to the Committee on House Administration, and in addition to the Committee on Natural Resources, for…”
Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.
How this was measured
Analysis — Quorum's AI read the bill text published by Congress.gov (4,827 characters) on Oct 16, 2026. Section numbers in the findings refer to that text, linked below; transparency and hidden-provision scores are compared against the median of 16,222 analysed bills.
Status and sponsors — Congress.gov's bill record — actions, committee referrals and cosponsors — loaded nightly. The timeline shows status changes, not every procedural action.
As of — page rendered 2026-10-20.
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