{"id":2656863,"date":"2026-09-09T17:52:00","date_gmt":"2026-09-09T21:52:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/republican-lawmakers-say-good-riddance-as-dei-focused-smithsonian-head-quits\/"},"modified":"2026-09-09T17:55:26","modified_gmt":"2026-09-09T21:55:26","slug":"republican-lawmakers-say-good-riddance-as-dei-focused-smithsonian-head-quits","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/republican-lawmakers-say-good-riddance-as-dei-focused-smithsonian-head-quits\/","title":{"rendered":"Republican Lawmakers Say &#8216;Good Riddance&#8217; as DEI-Focused Smithsonian Head Quits"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Frepublican-lawmakers-say-good-riddance-as-dei-focused-smithsonian-head-quits%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2656863&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>After Lonnie Bunch announced his retirement as Secretary of teh Smithsonian Institution, some Republican lawmakers criticized him for promoting Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) policies during his tenure and questioned his salary.Senator Josh Hawley publicly dismissed Bunch and called for him to return his compensation. Representative Brandon Gill also targeted Bunch, highlighting his involvement in placing DEI at the center of Smithsonian initiatives and accusing him of disliking america. They referenced a White house report alleging that the Smithsonian, under Bunch&#8217;s leadership, advocated for illegal immigrants&#8217; rights and restructured history exhibits to favor certain narratives, which aligns with efforts to revise American history. Despite these accusations, Bunch received positive media coverage upon his departure, expressing gratitude and pride for his long service. He plans to step down at year&#8217;s end, prompting the White House to begin searching for a replacement, potentially aligned with the previous management&#8217;s stance against what they term &#8220;ideological capture&#8221; at the Smithsonian.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><br \/>\n<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC \"-\/\/W3C\/\/DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional\/\/EN\" \"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/REC-html40\/loose.dtd\"><br \/>\n<?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><html><body><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>After Lonnie Bunch announced his retirement as Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution this week, GOP lawmakers criticized him for pushing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion policies while receiving a large government salary.<\/p>\n<p>Republican Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri responded to the news with an X post on Tuesday, simply writing, \u201cGood riddance. He should return his salary to the American people.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Good riddance. He should return his salary to the American people <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/gkITnA6hte\">https:\/\/t.co\/gkITnA6hte<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/HawleyMO\/status\/2097382821719363949?\">September 8, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.x.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>GOP Rep. Brandon Gill of Texas also posted a message on X which read, \u201cLonnie Bunch openly admitted that he worked to put DEI at the \u2018center\u2019 of institutions like the Smithsonian. And he did it while raking in $4.4 million between 2020-2024.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He added, \u201cIt\u2019s time for the Smithsonian to return to what it once was: A cherished organization promoting ideals that unify Americans.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Gill then d a video clip of an interview he did with Fox News host Laura Ingraham, in which he accused Bunch of hating the United States.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Lonnie Bunch openly admitted that he worked to put DEI at the \u201ccenter\u201d of institutions like the Smithsonian.<\/p>\n<p>And he did it while raking in $4.4 million between 2020-2024.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s time for the Smithsonian to return to what it once was: A cherished organization promoting ideals that\u2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/Gz941gHJWT\">https:\/\/t.co\/Gz941gHJWT<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Brandon Gill (@realBrandonGill) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/realBrandonGill\/status\/2097391690013385089?\">September 8, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.x.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s a massive payday, especially in light of the fact that it\u2019s being given out for somebody who hates our country, hates our culture, wants to fundamentally transform it, and is weaponizing American institutions against the American people. And doing it in such a flagrant and egregious way,\u201d he proclaimed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhenever you have the American Museum of History, at the Smithsonian, promoting illegal aliens voting in American elections, saying that basically every good personal quality is white supremacy, you know something\u2019s wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Gill was echoing a July <a href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Smithsonian-Report-Saving-Americas-Story.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">report<\/a> from the White House Domestic Policy Council titled: \u201cSAVING AMERICA\u2019S STORY: How Ideological Capture at the Smithsonian Institution\u2019s National Museum of American History Erases Our Heritage.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In it, the National Museum of American History was cited for having \u201cextensively advocated for millions of illegal aliens to be granted U.S. citizenship and voting rights,\u201d by creating a \u201ccurriculum that instructs high school teachers to avoid using the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/joe-biden-bans-terms-illegal-alien-assimilation-to-make-u-s-seem-more-inclusive\/\" title=\"Joe Biden Bans Terms \u2018Illegal Alien,\u2019 \u2018Assimilation\u2019 To Make U.S. Seem More \u2018Inclusive\u2019\">terms \u2018illegal alien<\/a>,\u2019 \u2018illegal immigrant,\u2019 and \u2018illegals.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>It also accused the museum of framing illegals as oppressed people who \u201care essential to America\u2019s culture, economy, and society, and therefore should become U.S. citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Last year, President Donald Trump issued an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/presidential-actions\/2025\/03\/restoring-truth-and-sanity-to-american-history\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">executive order<\/a> entitled \u201cRESTORING TRUTH AND SANITY TO AMERICAN HISTORY,\u201d mandating that \u201cimproper ideology\u201d be removed because \u201cover the past decade, Americans have witnessed a concerted and widespread effort to rewrite our Nation\u2019s history, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-targets-smithsonian-with-executive-order-restoring-truth-and-sanity-to-american-history\/\" title=\"Trump Targets ... with Executive Order &#039;Restoring Truth and Sanity to ...&#039;\">replacing objective facts<\/a> with a distorted narrative driven by ideology rather than truth.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He also <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/trump-smithsonian-history-exhibit-signs-d04879c33b518fe3acb91a4fb41c6a30\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">ordered<\/a> signs to be installed in front of the history museum to highlight inaccuracies within some of its exhibits.<\/p>\n<p>Despite these allegations, Bunch, who is the first black person to hold the role, received mostly positive coverage from the media following his announcement.<\/p>\n<p>He said in a Tuesday news release that he is leaving \u201cwith very mixed emotions and heartfelt gratitude\u201d and will step down at the end of the year, <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/lonnie-bunch-smithsonian-retire-donald-trump-3a08583654837125c643d25b6623fbda?utm_campaign=trueAnthem%3A+New+Content+%28Feed%29&#038;utm_medium=trueAnthem&#038;utm_source=twitter\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">according<\/a> to The Associated Press.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI have spent nearly half of my life working at and being part of the Smithsonian family, and what a privilege it has been,\u201d Bunch added, according to an NBC News <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/politics\/politics-news\/smithsonian-secretary-lonnie-bunch-leaving-fights-trump-rcna596615\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">report<\/a>. \u201cThere is no place like the Smithsonian \u2014 it has been one of the great loves of my life, and I am extraordinarily proud of what we have accomplished together.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The commander in chief is now expected to begin searching for Bunch\u2019s replacement and will likely install a new team more in line with his agenda.<\/p>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f7f7f7; 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Senator Josh Hawley from Missouri reacted on X (formerly Twitter), stating simply, \u201cGood riddance. He should return his salary to the American people.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2656864,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Lonnie-Bunch-resigns.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[16574,50402,5894,3911,17565],"class_list":["post-2656863","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-dei","tag-leadership-2","tag-politics","tag-republican","tag-smithsonian"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Lonnie-Bunch-resigns.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2656863","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2656863"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2656863\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2656867,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2656863\/revisions\/2656867"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2656864"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2656863"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2656863"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2656863"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}