Don't let Trump block the creation of the Smithsonian Women’s History Museum. Demand Congress fund it NOW!
Dear MoveOn member,
Trump and Republicans in Congress are refusing to fund the first-ever national museum dedicated to women's history—all because it dares to tell stories of trans women in our country.
For nearly 20 years, advocates have worked to establish the Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum in Washington, DC. Finally, in 2020, the museum was approved with bipartisan support. The proposed institution would showcase the range of struggles, experiences, and contributions of women in the United States.1
But now Congress is blocking its funding—making it yet another casualty of Trump and Republicans' hateful obsession with stripping trans people of their rights.2
Americans deserve access to the diverse and vibrant history of all women in our country. Demand Congress stop playing political games and fund the Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum—free from Trump's control.
Let's be clear: This is about control. Trump wants to decide the content, curation, and even location of the museum. It’s government censorship, plain and simple.
This isn’t the only museum caught in the crossfire of Trump's censorship agenda over the arts. Trump’s “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History” executive order last year targeted the entire Smithsonian Institution, launching unprecedented oversight into its museums and exhibits.3 Funding for the National Museum of the American Latino, as well as other arts agencies and centers, has repeatedly been put in jeopardy.4
Trump is attacking arts and history because of its significant influence on our culture and their role in fostering an informed, empathetic, and free society. We must fight to protect our cultural institutions like the American Women’s History Museum. Sign the petition now!
Trans people have always existed and will always contribute to the story of our nation. But Trump will do anything to blatantly erase trans women from history and block the museum that women have been championing for decades.
The museum—which is currently only available digitally—highlights women of diverse social and political backgrounds. It includes significant historical trans women, like Lynn Conway, an American computer scientist, Rachel Levine, former assistant secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, and Emmy-winning star Laverne Cox.5
In an attempt to exclude a few incredible women, elected officials are willing to suppress the entire history and celebration of all women.
The Democratic Women’s Caucus said it best: “A museum about women, fought for and supported by women, should not be controlled by one man.”6
Add your name to the petition to demand Congress approve the original proposal and allow the Smithsonian Women's History Museum to move forward!
It’s not just freedom of expression and art that Trump is attacking—it’s our very history. Trump has come under fire for stripping the names of historical figures from federal websites and removing historical information from national parks.7
Our democracy thrives when we have access to art and history that reflects the diversity of groups that make up our nation. And democracy erodes when presidents and elected leaders censor federal institutions in an attempt to limit our artistic and intellectual freedom.
Trump and Republicans’ attacks on the Smithsonian Women’s History Museum are part of a larger authoritarian playbook meant to erase the history of our social movements, silence the progress of marginalized groups, and command what information everyday people can access.
This is about more than just one museum. It’s about us coming together to defend the right to learn, share, champion, and build on our collective progress. Send a message to your members of Congress letting them know we expect them to fully fund an inclusive American Women’s History Museum!
Thanks for all you do.
–Aliya, AD, Nadia, Jordan, and the rest of the team
Sources:
1. "House Rejects Bill to Advance Plans to Construct American Women’s History Museum," Feminist Majority Foundation, June 12, 2026
https://feminist.org/news/house-rejects-bill-to-advance-plans-to-construct-american-womens-history-museum/
2. "How Trump's Culture War Derailed a New Smithsonian Museum," The Atlantic, May 22, 2026
https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/2026/05/trump-smithsonian-women/687265
3. "Smithsonian secretary reaffirms institution’s 'independence' in response to White House’s demand for review," ABC News, September 5, 2025
https://abcnews.com/Politics/smithsonian-secretary-reaffirms-institutions-independence-response-white-houses/story?id=125296667
4. "Under Trump, the future of U.S. Latino history preservation is uncertain," LA Times, July 30, 2025
https://www.latimes.com/delos/story/2025-07-30/latino-history-preservation-u-s-trump-federal-budget-2026-smithsonian
5. "Anti-trans amendment puts women’s history museum on pause," The 19th, May 21, 2026
https://19thnews.org/2026/05/smithsonian-american-womens-history-museum-bill/
6. Ibid.
7. "Censored: Erasing 250 Years of American History on Public Lands," Center for American Progress, June 30, 2026
https://www.americanprogress.org/article/censored-erasing-250-years-of-american-history-on-public-lands/
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