President Donald Trump’s administration is making changes to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum board.
On Tuesday, April 29, Doug Emhoff, the husband of former Vice President Kamala Harris, announced that he was removed from the council. Former President Joe Biden appointed Emhoff and other now-former senior White House officials on January 17.
Presidential council appointments typically have five-year terms and the council meets twice a year. The 68-member council includes 55 presidential appointments, five members from the Senate, five from the House of Representatives, and three former members from the Departments of State, Interior and Education, per the council’s January 17 announcement.
The museum is a nonprofit federal institution that teaches visitors about the millions of people who were killed in the Holocaust. Congress authorized it in 1980, and it opened in 1993.
Emhoff made history as the first Jewish spouse of any president or vice president, and has been outspoken against combating antisemitism.
“Today, I was informed of my removal from the United States Holocaust Memorial Council,” Emhoff said in a statement. “Holocaust remembrance and education should never be politicized. To turn one of the worst atrocities in history into a wedge issue is dangerous — and it dishonors the memory of six million Jews murdered by Nazis that this museum was created to preserve.”
“No divisive political decision will ever shake my commitment to Holocaust remembrance and education or to combating hate and antisemitism. I will continue to speak out, to educate, and to fight hate in all its forms — because silence is never an option,” he concluded.
“President Trump looks forward to appointing new individuals who will not only continue to honor the memory of those who perished in the Holocaust, but who are also steadfast supporters of the State of Israel,” Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, said in a statement, per The New York Times.
White House Presidential Personnel Office employee Mary Sprowls sent an email on Tuesday to those who were “terminated, effective immediately,” per the NYT. It is unclear how many people were fired, but several appointees who did not work for Biden said they have not received termination letters as of Tuesday afternoon. The administration’s actions come five days after Holocaust Remembrance Day.
“The museum’s work has always been nonpartisan and should remain so,” said former Rhode Island Representative David Cicilline, per the NYT. He was appointed by Biden in March 2024 and was removed on Tuesday. “It is meant to challenge us all to think critically and clearly about our role in society, to confront antisemitism and all other forms of hate.”
“At this time of high antisemitism and Holocaust distortion and denial, the museum is gratified that our visitation is robust and demand for Holocaust education is increasing,” the Museum’s statement said, the NYT reported. “We look forward to continuing to advance our vitally important mission as we work with the Trump administration.”
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Representatives for the White House and the Holocaust Memorial Museum did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for more information on Tuesday.
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