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[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2385 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 2385
To codify Executive Order 14253 relating to restoring truth and sanity
to American history, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
July 22, 2025
Mr. Banks introduced the following bill; which was read twice and
referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To codify Executive Order 14253 relating to restoring truth and sanity
to American history, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Restoring Truth and Sanity to
American History Act''.
SEC. 2. CODIFICATION OF EXECUTIVE ORDER 14253.
(a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
(1) Over the past decade, Americans have witnessed a
concerted and widespread effort to rewrite our Nation's
history, replacing objective facts with a distorted narrative
driven by ideology rather than truth. This revisionist movement
seeks to undermine the remarkable achievements of the United
States by casting its founding principles and historical
milestones in a negative light. Under this historical revision,
our Nation's unparalleled legacy of advancing liberty,
individual rights, and human happiness is reconstructed as
inherently racist, sexist, oppressive, or otherwise
irredeemably flawed. Rather than fostering unity and a deeper
understanding of our shared past, the widespread effort to
rewrite history deepens societal divides and fosters a sense of
national shame, disregarding the progress America has made and
the ideals that continue to inspire millions around the globe.
(2) The prior administration advanced this corrosive
ideology. At Independence National Historical Park in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania--where our Nation declared that all
men are created equal--the prior administration sponsored
training by an organization that advocates dismantling
``Western foundations'' and ``interrogating institutional
racism'' and pressured National Historical Park rangers that
their racial identity should dictate how they convey history to
visiting Americans because America is purportedly racist.
(3) Once widely respected as a symbol of American
excellence and a global icon of cultural achievement, the
Smithsonian Institution has, in recent years, come under the
influence of a divisive, race-centered ideology. This shift has
promoted narratives that portray American and Western values as
inherently harmful and oppressive. For example, the Smithsonian
American Art Museum today features ``The Shape of Power:
Stories of Race and American Sculpture'', an exhibit
representing that ``[s]ocieties including the United States
have used race to establish and maintain systems of power,
privilege, and disenfranchisement.'' The exhibit further claims
that ``sculpture has been a powerful tool in promoting
scientific racism'' and promotes the view that race is not a
biological reality but a social construct, stating ``Race is a
human invention''.
(4) The National Museum of African American History and
Culture has proclaimed that ``hard work'', ``individualism'',
and ``the nuclear family'' are aspects of ``White culture''.
The forthcoming Smithsonian American Women's History Museum
plans on celebrating the exploits of male athletes
participating in women's sports. These are just a few examples.
(b) Policy Statement.--It is the policy of this Act--
(1) to restore Federal sites dedicated to history,
including parks and museums, to solemn and uplifting public
monuments that remind Americans of our extraordinary heritage,
consistent progress toward becoming a more perfect Union, and
unmatched record of advancing liberty, prosperity, and human
flourishing;
(2) that Museums in our Nation's capital should be places
where individuals go to learn--not to be subjected to
ideological indoctrination or divisive narratives that distort
our shared history; and
(3) to restore the Smithsonian Institution to its rightful
place as a symbol of inspiration and American greatness--
igniting the imagination of young minds, honoring the richness
of American history and innovation, and instilling pride in the
hearts of all Americans.
(c) Saving Our Smithsonian.--
(1) In general.--The Vice President, in consultation with
the Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy and the
Special Assistant to the President and Senior Associate Staff
Secretary, shall--
(A) work to effectuate the policies of this Act
through the Vice President's role on the Board of
Regents of the Smithsonian Institution with respect to
the Smithsonian Institution and its museums, education
and research centers, and the National Zoo, including
by seeking to remove from such properties anything
that--
(i) violates the policy of this Act as
articulated in subsection (b) or Federal civil
rights laws; or
(ii) divides Americans based on race; and
(B) recommend to the President any additional
actions necessary to fully effectuate such policies.
(2) Future appropriations.--The Vice President and the
Director of the Office of Management and Budget shall work with
Congress to ensure that future appropriations to the
Smithsonian Institution--
(A) prohibit expenditure on exhibits or programs
that--
(i) degrade shared American values;
(ii) divide Americans based on race; or
(iii) promote programs or ideologies
inconsistent with Federal law, the policy of
this Act as articulated in subsection (b), or
Federal civil rights laws; and
(B) celebrate the achievements of women in the
American Women's History Museum and do not recognize
men as women in any respect, including by--
(i) promoting, celebrating, or favorably
depicting biological males competing in women's
sports, winning awards designated for women,
dressing as women, or entering private
facilities designated for women;
(ii) promoting, celebrating, or favorably
depicting gender-affirming medicine, especially
for minors; or
(iii) including any other material that
degrades the biological nature of sex or
violates Federal civil rights laws.
(3) Other measures to promote policy.--The Director of the
Office of Management and Budget and the Secretary of the
Interior shall take any other measures within their authority
to promote the policy of this Act.
(4) Board of regents of the smithsonian institution.--As
appropriate, the Vice President shall, in consultation with the
Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy and Special
Assistant to the President and Senior Associate Staff
Secretary, work with the Speaker of the House of
Representatives and the Majority Leader of the Senate to seek
the appointment of citizen members to the Board of Regents of
the Smithsonian Institution committed to advancing the policy
of this Act.
(d) Restoring Independence Hall.--The Secretary of the Interior
shall provide sufficient funding, as available, to improve the
infrastructure of Independence National Historical Park, which shall be
complete by July 4, 2026, the 250th anniversary of the signing of the
Declaration of Independence.
(e) Restoring Truth in American History.--The Secretary of the
Interior shall--
(1) determine whether, since January 1, 2020, public
monuments, memorials, statues, markers, or similar properties
within the Department of the Interior's jurisdiction have been
removed or changed to perpetuate a false reconstruction of
American history, inappropriately minimize the value of certain
historical events or figures, divide Americans based on race,
recognize men as women, or include any other improper partisan
ideology;
(2) take action to reinstate the pre-existing monuments,
memorials, statues, markers, or similar properties, as
appropriate and consistent with section 437 of the Revised
Statutes (43 U.S.C. 1451), division A of subtitle I of title
54, United States Code, and other applicable law; and
(3) take action, as appropriate and consistent with
applicable law, to ensure that all public monuments, memorials,
statues, markers, or similar properties within the Department
of the Interior's jurisdiction--
(A) do not contain descriptions, depictions, or
other content that inappropriately disparage Americans
past or living (including persons living in colonial
times), divide Americans based on race, or recognize
men as women; and
(B) instead focus on the greatness of the
achievements and progress of the American people or,
with respect to natural features, the beauty,
abundance, and grandeur of the American landscape.
(f) Rule of Construction.--Nothing in this Act shall be construed
to--
(1) impair or otherwise affect--
(A) the authority granted by law to an executive
department or agency, or the head thereof; or
(B) the functions of the Director of the Office of
Management and Budget relating to budgetary,
administrative, or legislative proposals; or
(2) create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural,
enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United
States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers,
employees, or agents, or any other person.
<all>
Introduced in Senate
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on National Parks. Hearings held.
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