Committee member presses museum witness over 'America First' remark

A committee member questioned a witness on whether the National Museum of American History had removed the phrase “American history” from its mission statement to combat an "America First" mentality, citing a June 2024 Domestic Policy Council report.

The member, who identified himself as Vice Chair of the humanities caucus, told the witness he would press for clarification and quoted George Orwell to argue against erasing historical memory. "Get out of the America First mentality," the member said he understood the report to state, pressing the witness to define what era or usage the phrase targeted.

The witness, addressed in the hearing as "Doctor (witness)," said he wanted to "open the aperture of inquiry" and urged adding nuance to historical interpretation, noting that the American Revolution had global dimensions. "I would argue that the American Revolution was a global event, and the more we add nuance...," the witness said.

The member interrupted several times to press whether the witness meant early 20th-century movements, rhetoric associated with William McKinley, Ronald Reagan's usage, or contemporary discourse. He repeatedly asked the witness to specify which historical period the comment addressed.

The exchange was energetic but produced no legislative motion or vote. Time expired and the member yielded back without recording a definitive, sustained clarification of whether the museum formally removed the words from its mission or the specific intent behind any such change.

The hearing referenced a Domestic Policy Council presentation from June 2024 as the source for the claim about the museum's mission. The committee did not take formal action during this exchange; further testimony or documents would be needed to determine whether the museum altered its official mission statement and for what stated reasons.