The Smithsonian Institution, a Washington, D.C.-based museum network that has come under repeated attack from the Trump administration, took another hit this weekend as the ongoing government shutdown forces it to close for the foreseeable future.
This isn’t the first museum in Washington, D.C., to close due to closures: The National Gallery of Art has been closed since last weekend. But the Smithsonian’s 21 institutions, including the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Gardens, the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the National Portrait Gallery, represent the largest closure of its kind to date.
Previously, the Smithsonian Institution, which received most of its funding from the U.S. government, had used its own money to stay open. Initially scheduled to close on October 6, the opening was later extended to October 11.
During the last government shutdown, which occurred in late 2018 and early 2019, Smithsonian workers did not receive paychecks. It’s unclear what will happen this time, although President Trump has said furloughed federal workers will not automatically receive back pay. On Friday, the White House announced a new round of layoffs amid the government shutdown.
The current government shutdown began on October 1 and is now entering its second week. It stems from differences between Democrats and Republicans over health care policy. Ahead of the shutdown, Democrats sought to roll back health care cuts proposed by Republicans, while Republicans called on Democrats to accept their funding plans.
How the Smithsonian’s upcoming programming will be affected remains uncertain. Later this month, the Smithsonian American Art Museum plans to launch a survey of Grandma Moses. The National Portrait Gallery has postponed an exhibition linked to its regular portrait competition, which was due to open on October 18.
The Smithsonian has been repeatedly targeted by the Trump administration this year. In March, Trump issued an executive order condemning the Smithsonian, in which he claimed the institution was “influenced by divisive, ethnocentric ideologies.” He has since released a list of artworks on display at his museum that he appeared to condemn; some of them related to immigration and transgender identities.
The National Portrait Gallery was particularly reshaped by this controversy. She resigned after Trump claimed he fired its director, Kim Sajet. Also at the museum, artist Amy Sherald canceled a planned tour, claiming the institution was censoring her by asking her to remove a painting of a black trans woman posing as the Statue of Liberty.
