White House Purges Nearly the Entire National Council on the Humanities

“The president is hoping to place members on the board who align more closely with his vision,” an administration official told NOTUS.

Donald Trump

The council was scheduled to attend a meeting next week to review statue proposals for Trump’s $34 million statue garden. Evan Vucci/AP

The White House on Wednesday fired nearly every member of the National Council on the Humanities, leaving the 26-member board with just four members appointed by President Donald Trump.

“On behalf of President Donald J. Trump, I am writing to inform you that your position as a member of the National Council on the Humanities is terminated, effective immediately,” read an email sent to council members Wednesday morning, reviewed by The Washington Post. “Thank you for your service.”

By late Wednesday morning as federal funding lapsed, the council updated its website to remove 22 of its members, leaving just Russell A. Berman, Keegan F. Callanan, William English and Matthew Rose.