The following letter was submitted to Sec. Lonnie Bunch on behalf of 24 Senators from both parties on November 22nd. To see the original letter, please click here.

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Lonnie G. Bunch III
Secretary
The Smithsonian Institution

cc: Smithsonian Board of Regents

Dear Secretary Bunch:

The 116th Congress saw the passage of the creation of two new Smithsonian Museums into law. It comes with great excitement and comfort to have a partner at the helm who oversaw the creation of the extraordinary Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture that opened its doors in September 2016. Further, we applaud you for how quickly your team has begun to work to lay the foundation for both the Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum and the National Museum of the American Latino.

As we continue to move through this process, we want to take this opportunity to re-emphasize Congressional intent as stated in the authorizing legislation that both the National Museum of the American Latino and Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum be located on or near the National Mall, to the maximum extent practicable. From our perspective, the National Mall is the two-mile park from the Capitol to the Lincoln Memorial, bounded on the north and south by Constitution and Independence Avenues.

With more than 25 million people visiting the National Mall each year, it comes as no surprise that many Smithsonian Institutions have claimed this area their home and best for the diffusion of knowledge. The addition of the two new museums on the Mall will further the Smithsonian’s mission by showcasing and highlighting the untold and overlooked contributions to our nation of both women and Latinos. It is fitting that these two museums be prominently located as that will help ensure that more visitors will be able to enjoy and learn from them.

We appreciate your consideration of Congressional priorities as the Smithsonian works to establish these important museums. We look forward to working together and having a continued dialogue on how best to meet this intent.

Sincerely,

Robert Menendez
United States Senator

Dianne Feinstein
United States Senator

Susan M. Collins
United States Senator

John Cornyn
United States Senator

Charles E. Schumer
United States Senator

Marco Rubio
U.S. Senator

Richard Blumenthal
United States Senator

Alex Padilla United States Senator

Margaret Wood Hassan
United States Senator

Ben Ray Luján
United States Senator

Jacky Rosen
United States Senator

Michael F. Bennet
United States Senator

Patty Murray
United States Senator

Martin Heinrich
United States Senator

Cory A. Booker
United States Senator

Chris Van Hollen
United States Senator

Edward J. Markey
United States Senator

Tammy Baldwin
United States Senator

Benjamin L. Cardin
United States Senator

Jeffrey A. Merkley
United States Senator

Tina Smith
United States Senator

Sheldon Whitehouse
United States Senator

Mazie K. Hirono
United States Senator

Elizabeth Warren
United States Senator