Representative Josh Brecheen introduced HR 4021, legislation prohibiting federal agencies from using taxpayer funds to “develop, organize, administer, engage in, promote, or endorse” any activity related to LGBTQ Pride Month, including events, initiatives, official communications, social media posts, educational programs, or public campaigns. The bill also bans the display of “any flag that represents sexual orientation or gender identity” on federal property or grounds. By prohibiting federal agencies from recognizing or supporting Pride Month observances, the measure would eliminate cultural programming, educational initiatives, and symbolic displays that affirm LGBTQ identities and histories across the federal government. Pride Month, observed annually in June, includes artistic performances, exhibitions, educational programs, and cultural events at museums, libraries, military installations, and other federal facilities. The prohibition on flags would ban displays of the Pride flag and related symbols representing LGBTQ communities. This represents a government-imposed restriction on cultural expression and symbolic speech at federal institutions nationwide.

President Trump announced plans to close the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts for approximately two years beginning July 4, 2026, for renovations he described as necessary to create “the finest Performing Arts Facility of its kind, anywhere in the World.” The announcement, made via social media, came as a surprise to Kennedy Center staff and follows a wave of artist cancellations after Trump’s board added his name to the building in December 2025. The closure will eliminate public access to the nation’s leading performing arts venue and disrupt the National Symphony Orchestra, which receives approximately $10 million of its $42 million budget from the center. Kennedy Center Arts Workers United, representing five performing and professional unions, stated they received no formal notice and demanded continued fair pay and worker protections for displaced members. The announcement affects hundreds of scheduled performances and existing contracts with artists and resident companies.

House Resolution 7661 would amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to prohibit federal education funds from being used to develop, facilitate, or promote programs or literature for children under 18 that include “sexually oriented material.” The bill defines this term to include any content involving “gender dysphoria or transgenderism,” creating a federal mechanism to restrict books and literary works addressing LGBTQ+ themes from schools receiving federal funding. Introduced hours after President Trump’s February 24, 2026 State of the Union address calling to “ban it immediately,” the legislation includes exemptions for “standard science coursework,” religious texts, and narrowly defined classic literature and art, though it does not clarify whether materials within these categories that discuss gender identity would be protected or prohibited. Advocacy organizations have characterized the measure as establishing a nationwide book ban targeting transgender and gender-nonconforming youth.

Attorney General Pam Bondi issued a memo directing the FBI and federal prosecutors to compile lists of organizations the Justice Department classifies as potential “domestic terrorist” threats based on ideological views including “radical gender ideology,” “anti-Americanism,” “anti-capitalism,” and “anti-Christianity.” The memo implements National Security Presidential Memorandum 7 (NSPM-7) and authorizes the FBI to review intelligence from the past five years, solicit tips through an upgraded system with financial rewards for informants, and directs the Treasury Department to audit nonprofits’ taxes. The directive may encompass arts and cultural non-profit organizations and institutions whose artists or past programming explored themes related to race, gender, immigration, or nationalism, among others. The vague and overbroad nature of the directive could create a strong chilling effect for arts and cultural organizations.

On October 28, 2025, the White House terminated all six sitting members of the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts via email, informing them their positions were “terminated, effective immediately.” The Commission, established by Congress in 1910, advises the president, Congress, and Washington, D.C. on matters of design and aesthetics for federal monuments, memorials, coins, and government buildings. A White House official stated the administration is “preparing to appoint a new slate of members to the commission that are more aligned with President Trump’s ‘America First’ policies.” The dismissals occurred as the Commission was expected to review Trump’s controversial construction projects, including a 90,000-square-foot White House ballroom and triumphal arch, raising concerns about political interference in independent cultural and architectural oversight.

Todd Arrington, director of the Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum and Boyhood Home, was forced to resign on October 2, 2025, after refusing a Trump administration request to relinquish an Eisenhower-owned sword from the library’s collection as a gift to King Charles III during the president’s September state visit. Arrington maintained that donated artifacts become property of the American people and offered a replica instead, which was ultimately provided by West Point. On September 29, supervisors at the National Archives and Records Administration told Arrington to “resign or be fired,” citing that he could “no longer be trusted with confidential information” related to the sword dispute. His removal raises concerns about federal political interference in curatorial authority and the preservation of publicly-owned cultural heritage at national institutions.

In late August and September 2025, the Department of Education sent non-continuation notices to dozens of federal grant recipients mid-way through multi-year grant periods, including arts education initiatives, civics and literacy programs, and higher education projects. The notices stated that programs no longer align with the administration’s education policy priorities of “merit, fairness, and excellence,” with some notices alleging violations of federal civil rights law according to the administration’s interpretation. Among the canceled grants were at least nine arts education initiatives funded under the Assistance for Arts Education program, including a University of Nebraska-Lincoln project to infuse art teaching across subjects that lost its final year of funding. Grant recipients were given seven days to appeal, leaving institutions and educators facing abrupt funding disruptions and uncertainty about program continuation.

On August 25, 2025, President Trump signed Executive Order 14341, titled “Prosecuting Burning of the American Flag,” directing the Department of Justice to prioritize prosecution of flag desecration when it coincides with violations of existing federal, state, or local laws, and instructing the Attorney General to pursue litigation to challenge First Amendment protections established in Texas v. Johnson (1989). The order also directs the State Department and Department of Homeland Security to deny, revoke, or terminate visas, residence permits, and naturalization proceedings for foreign nationals who engage in flag desecration. While the order focuses on protest activity, its broad language regarding “flag desecration” and targeting of foreign nationals could create a chilling effect on symbolic and artistic expression, particularly among immigrant artists and cultural workers engaging in political or protest-themed work. Civil liberties organizations immediately challenged the order as unconstitutional selective enforcement of protected speech.

On August 22, 2025, the NEA canceled its Creative Writing Fellowships program for FY 2026, notifying applicants via email that the creative writing category has been “withdrawn by the Agency.” The email stated the NEA is “updating its grantmaking policy priorities to focus funding on projects that reflect the nation’s rich artistic heritage and creativity as prioritized by the Administration,” including support for HBCUs, Hispanic Serving Institutions, the America250 anniversary, houses of worship, and AI competency. The fellowships, which had offered up to $50,000 to published fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry writers since 1966, supported notable authors including Alice Walker, Maxine Hong Kingston, Louise Erdrich, and Sandra Cisneros.

USCIS issued Policy Alert PA-2025-16 directing officers to assign “overwhelmingly negative discretionary weight” to evidence that immigration applicants have “endorsed, promoted, supported, or otherwise espoused” anti-American, antisemitic, or terrorist ideologies when adjudicating benefit requests. The policy applies to discretionary immigration benefits including adjustment of status, work authorization, status changes and extensions, and affects international arts students (F-1), cultural exchange participants (J-1), and artists seeking work permits (H-1B, O-1). Officers review applicants’ social media and online activity for content deemed anti-American, creating a chilling effect on artistic and political expression for cultural workers in the US immigration system. Rights groups have warned that the vaguely defined standard of “anti-American ideologies” grants officers broad discretion to deny applications if the applicant holds views that, while peaceful, may be out of favor with the current Presidential administration.

Parties affected: On July 22, 2025, the U.S. announced its withdrawal from UNESCO, citing the organization’s “divisive social and cultural causes” and perceived anti-Israel bias, effective December 31, 2026. The withdrawal eliminates U.S. influence over international cultural policy and ends American institutions’ access to UNESCO funding, partnerships, and networks for heritage conservation. U.S. World Heritage sites lose access to international preservation support and expertise, while museums, universities, and cultural organizations are cut off from global collaboration on heritage protection. Critics warn the move weakens multilateral safeguards for cultural heritage worldwide and cedes cultural diplomacy leadership to other nations.