Latest news with #nonpartisan
CNN
10-06-2025
- Politics
- CNN
Smithsonian says it's committed to being free from ‘partisan influence' after Trump tries to remove gallery director
The Smithsonian Institution on Monday emphasized its 'nonpartisan stature' and said 'all personnel decisions' are made by its secretary more than a week after President Donald Trump said he would remove the director of the National Portrait Gallery. The institution said in a statement on Monday that 'all personnel decisions are made by and subject to the direction of the Secretary, with oversight by the Board.' It comes amid tension in recent months between several art institutions and the president, who has tried to reshape leadership and put in place his own personnel choices. Trump claimed in late May that he was removing Kim Sajet as director of the National Portrait Gallery. Sajet, who has led the Smithsonian-affiliated institution since 2013, is the first woman to serve in that role. The president cited concerns over her political leanings and support for diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, though his statement did not cite specific incidents or provide evidence of partisanship. 'She is a highly partisan person, and a strong supporter of DEI, which is totally inappropriate for her position. Her replacement will be named shortly. Thank you for your attention to this matter!' Trump wrote in a Truth Social post at the time. The Smithsonian's statement also noted that the institution has set out to be nonpartisan and that its Board of Regents 'is committed to ensuring that the Smithsonian is a beacon of scholarship free from political or partisan influence.' The board directed the secretary, Lonnie G. Bunch III, 'to articulate specific expectations to museum directors and staff regarding content in Smithsonian museums,' give directors time to make changes to 'ensure unbiased content' and report back on progress and any needed personnel changes. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, who sits on the Smithsonian board and is the chancellor, previously declined to comment on the matter. CNN has reached out to Roberts on the latest statement by the board of regents. CNN has also reached out to the Smithsonian Institution, National Portrait Gallery and White House for comment. Trump has removed several members of independent agencies and entities since the start of his second term, including the board of trustees and chairman at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, members of the Consumer Product Safety Commission, senior officials at federal labor agencies, Democratic members of the Federal Trade Commission and inspectors general from more than a dozen federal agencies. The Smithsonian Institution — the world's largest museum complex, including 21 museums and the National Zoo — has also been a target for the Trump administration as he has looked to influence American cultural and artistic institutions. The president signed an executive order in March that put Vice President JD Vance, who also serves on the Smithsonian's board of regents, in charge of stopping government spending on 'exhibits or programs that degrade shared American values, divide Americans based on race, or promote programs or ideologies inconsistent with Federal law and policy.' In his order, Trump specifically targeted the National Museum of African American History and Culture and the Smithsonian American Art Museum as carrying exhibits and promoting language he deemed inappropriate. He also signed an order in March directing the Institution of Museum and Library Services, who supports museums and libraries in all 50 states, among several other government entities, to be 'eliminated to the maximum extent consistent with applicable law.'
New York Times
10-06-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
Defying Trump's Firing, Smithsonian Says It Controls Personnel Decisions
In a challenge to President Trump, the Smithsonian said on Monday that the president did not have the right to fire Kim Sajet, the director of the National Portrait Gallery, despite his recent announcement that she had been terminated. 'All personnel decisions are made by and subject to the direction of the secretary, with oversight by the board,' said a statement from the Smithsonian, which oversees that museum and 20 others, as well as libraries, research centers and the National Zoo. 'Lonnie G. Bunch, the secretary, has the support of the Board of Regents in his authority and management of the Smithsonian.' The statement came hours after the Board of Regents, including Vice President JD Vance, discussed the president's announcement at a quarterly meeting. When Mr. Trump said 10 days ago that he had fired Ms. Sajet, he called her 'a highly partisan person, and a strong supporter of DEI, which is totally inappropriate for her position.' The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Ms. Sajet was not mentioned in the Smithsonian's statement. But the board said it was asking Mr. Bunch to take steps to ensure the institution's nonpartisan nature. 'The Smithsonian must be a welcoming place of knowledge and discovery for all Americans,' the statement said. 'The Board of Regents is committed to ensuring that the Smithsonian is a beacon of scholarship free from political or partisan influence, and we recognize that our institution can and must do more to further these foundational values.' The statement said the board had directed Mr. Bunch to articulate expectations to museum directors about what is displayed in their institutions and to give them time to make any changes needed 'to ensure unbiased content.' Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
New York Times
06-06-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
How to Stack the Federal Work Force With ‘Patriotic Americans' Who Agree With Trump
The White House took a step last week that significantly undercuts the idea that federal employment should be nonpartisan. A May 29 memo from the Office of Personnel Management may seem technical, but the policy that it outlines has grave implications for how the government functions and creates an unconstitutional political test for federal hiring. At heart, the new policy is about viewpoint discrimination: People applying for federal jobs whose views the Trump administration does not like will not be hired. This is the most recent of the administration's actions to undermine the nonpartisan Civil Service and consolidate control over almost all federal employees in the White House. In a densely worded, 12-page memo, Vince Haley, an assistant to the president for domestic policy, and Charles Ezell, the acting O.P.M. director, make fealty to the president's agenda a criterion for hiring for most federal positions. Imposing such a litmus test for nonpolitical positions runs afoul of the nearly 150-year-old federal Civil Service law, the 1939 Hatch Act and the First Amendment. Under federal law, about 4,000 federal jobs are filled by political appointees. These positions allow the president to appoint those who share his views and to remove those who do not support his policy priorities. Most remaining federal jobs are hired based on nonpartisan and objective assessments of merit, and the hiring criteria are tied to the job duties. The recent memo would, in effect, dramatically expand that exception for political appointees to include everyone at what's known as level GS-5 or above — a group that includes clerical positions, technicians for soil conservation and firefighters. The ideologies and views of these individuals should play no role in their potential hiring. The policy announced in the memo requires every person applying for a position level GS-5 or above to submit four essays. One requires that the applicant address: 'How would you help advance the president's executive orders and policy priorities in this role? Identify one or two relevant executive orders or policy initiatives that are significant to you, and explain how you would help implement them if hired.' Another prompt: 'How has your commitment to the Constitution and the founding principles of the United States inspired you to pursue this role within the federal government? Provide a concrete example from professional, academic or personal experience.' Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
New York Times
05-06-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
Quote of the Day: Republicans Work to Discredit Experts' Tax-Cut Warning
'Without that you have chaos.' MARC GOLDWEIN, a senior vice president at the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, on the necessity of nonpartisan offices that estimate the costs of legislation outweighing the frustrations over their forecasts.
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Last-minute bill would let Nevada's nonpartisan voters join major party primaries for the first time
A last-minute bill offered by Assembly Speaker Steve Yeager would let non-partisan voters cast ballots in major-party primaries for the first time.
