Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History Act

Bill: 119-s-2385
Sponsor: full_name: Sen. Banks, Jim [R-IN]
Introduced: 2025-07-22
Policy area: Arts, Culture, Religion
Latest action: action_date: 2025-07-22
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.

Summaries:

tv_txt: II 119th CONGRESS 1st Session S. 2385 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.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History Act . 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.