Washington DC - President Donald Trump's administration is doubling down on its threats against the Smithsonian, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum complaining about its "ideological agenda."

Burgum and White House Domestic Policy Council Director Vince Haley used a recent letter to the Smithsonian's Board of Regents to moan about its leadership and threaten to take action against its depictions and framing of US history.

"The Smithsonian bears a responsibility to preserve and present the American story faithfully, accurately, coherently and in a manner worthy of the public trust," the letter – sent on August 28 – read.

Pointing to the adoption of recent policies and various decisions by its leadership, Burgum and Haley accused the Smithsonian of moving "toward advancing an ideological agenda that seeks to transform both the Smithsonian and the country."

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"Because these concerns arise from executive leadership and institutional ideology at the Smithsonian, the appropriate response must likewise address executive leadership and institutional ideology."

In particular, Burgum and Haley warned that the National Museum of American History's Interpretive plan – which aims to contextualize history with the key issues of our time – is "alarming" and dangerous.

They threatened that the federal government "cannot in good conscience continue to support the Smithsonian under current leadership by, for example, loaning artifacts for exhibits, enabling procurement processes, and making discretionary grants."

The letter is not the first time the Trump administration has attacked the Smithsonian. As recently as July, Trump ordered the institution to put up disclaimer signs to mark "inaccurate" information on US history

In a statement to the Daily Beast, a spokesperson for the Smithsonian said: "For more than 180 years, the Smithsonian has served the American public with nonpartisan and independent scholarship, and we remain committed to doing so."