Energy and Natural Resources Committee, National Parks Subcommittee
Introduced
In Committee
On Floor
Passed Chamber
Enacted
The "Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History Act" aims to codify Executive Order 14253, asserting that a concerted effort has been made to rewrite American history with distorted, ideological narratives. The bill's findings express concern that this revisionist movement undermines American achievements, casts founding principles negatively, and deepens societal divides. It specifically cites examples from Independence National Historical Park and the Smithsonian Institution, including exhibits and programs perceived as promoting divisive, race-centered ideologies or misrepresenting American values. The legislation declares a policy to restore federal historical sites, parks, and museums as solemn and uplifting public monuments that celebrate America's heritage, progress, and advancements in liberty and prosperity. It emphasizes that these institutions, particularly the Smithsonian, should be places of learning, not ideological indoctrination. To achieve this, the Vice President is directed to use their role on the Smithsonian Board of Regents to remove content that violates the bill's policy or divides Americans based on race. Furthermore, the bill mandates that future appropriations to the Smithsonian Institution prohibit funding for exhibits or programs that degrade shared American values, divide Americans by race, or promote ideologies inconsistent with federal law. Specifically, it requires the American Women's History Museum to celebrate women's achievements without recognizing men as women, including prohibiting content promoting biological males in women's sports or gender-affirming medicine for minors. The Secretary of the Interior is also tasked with reviewing public monuments within Department of the Interior jurisdiction that may have been removed or altered since 2020 to perpetuate false history, divide by race, or recognize men as women, with a directive to reinstate pre-existing monuments where appropriate.
Historical and cultural resourcesMonuments and memorialsPresidents and presidential powers, Vice PresidentsRacial and ethnic relationsSmithsonian InstitutionU.S. history
Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History Act
USA119th CongressS-2385| Senate
| Updated: 12/9/2025
The "Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History Act" aims to codify Executive Order 14253, asserting that a concerted effort has been made to rewrite American history with distorted, ideological narratives. The bill's findings express concern that this revisionist movement undermines American achievements, casts founding principles negatively, and deepens societal divides. It specifically cites examples from Independence National Historical Park and the Smithsonian Institution, including exhibits and programs perceived as promoting divisive, race-centered ideologies or misrepresenting American values. The legislation declares a policy to restore federal historical sites, parks, and museums as solemn and uplifting public monuments that celebrate America's heritage, progress, and advancements in liberty and prosperity. It emphasizes that these institutions, particularly the Smithsonian, should be places of learning, not ideological indoctrination. To achieve this, the Vice President is directed to use their role on the Smithsonian Board of Regents to remove content that violates the bill's policy or divides Americans based on race. Furthermore, the bill mandates that future appropriations to the Smithsonian Institution prohibit funding for exhibits or programs that degrade shared American values, divide Americans by race, or promote ideologies inconsistent with federal law. Specifically, it requires the American Women's History Museum to celebrate women's achievements without recognizing men as women, including prohibiting content promoting biological males in women's sports or gender-affirming medicine for minors. The Secretary of the Interior is also tasked with reviewing public monuments within Department of the Interior jurisdiction that may have been removed or altered since 2020 to perpetuate false history, divide by race, or recognize men as women, with a directive to reinstate pre-existing monuments where appropriate.
Historical and cultural resourcesMonuments and memorialsPresidents and presidential powers, Vice PresidentsRacial and ethnic relationsSmithsonian InstitutionU.S. history