Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) has accused the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History of promoting a "woke agenda" and left-wing ideology. During a House Oversight Committee hearing, Burchett confronted Museum Director Dr. Anthea Hartig, presenting a compilation of her remarks that included repeated land acknowledgments.

Burchett argued that Hartig's statements, such as acknowledging "native people on whose land we gather today" and encouraging gratitude to "the first people on whose land we live," imply that modern Americans are illegitimately occupying their land. He stated that these remarks reflect a broader shift at the museum away from celebrating American history and towards progressive political themes like race, identity, and systemic oppression.

A White House Domestic Policy Council report was cited, which concluded that the museum under Hartig's leadership has abandoned its core mission. The report claims the museum now uses the "American story" as a "political instrument to divide, dispirit, and discourage our citizens," rather than as a shared national inheritance. The hearing reflects ongoing Republican scrutiny of federally funded cultural institutions over perceived progressive political activism.