Smithsonian designates Arts and Industries Building for Latino museum, sidestepping congressional vote

The Smithsonian Institution’s Board of Regents approved the conversion of the historic Arts and Industries Building into the permanent site for the National Museum of the American Latino. Selecting a Smithsonian-owned building allows the museum to bypass the congressional approval process that would have been required for a new location on National Park Service land, where the Republican-controlled Congress could block the project.

Congress originally authorized the museum in December 2020, and it has been housed temporarily within the National Museum of American History since 2022. The Trump administration’s recent budget proposal removed earmarked funds for the museum, favoring a decentralized Latino Center instead. Raising the estimated $1 billion needed to retrofit the Arts and Industries Building remains a major hurdle.

Critics argue that the administration’s actions threaten the recognition of key chapters of U.S. history. The Smithsonian, a leading cultural and research complex, aims to move forward with the new museum despite these financial and political obstacles.