Have you heard the news that Texas’ senators want to chop up NASA’s retired space shuttle Discovery in order to move it from the Smithsonian to Houston? The lawmakers in question have and are now crying foul to the Department of Justice.
Sens. John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Ted Cruz (R-Texas), together with Rep. Randy Weber (R-Texas), on Wednesday sent a letter to the DOJ urging the Smithsonian be investigated for allegedly violating the Anti-Lobbying Act. They claim that the institution—Discovery‘s home for the past 13 years—improperly used appropriated funds to influence Congress regarding the relocation of the winged orbiter.
“Public reporting suggests the Smithsonian Institution has taken affirmative steps to oppose the passage and implementation of the shuttle’s relocation, as part of President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” wrote Cornyn and Cruz to Attorney General Pamela Bondi and Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate. “These steps include lobbying the staff of the Senate Appropriations and Rules Committees to express disapproval, coordinating with members of the press to generate public opposition to the law’s passage and disseminating misinformation about the cost and logistics of the move.”
The letter also alleged that the Smithsonian has called for the pending fiscal year 2026 Interior and Environment Appropriations Act and the Commerce, Justice, and Science Appropriations Act to be amended to block funding for the shuttle’s transport and rehousing.
“Furthermore [on the subject of funding], the Institution has circulated cost estimates that exceed quotes from experienced private-sector logistics firms by more than tenfold and has falsely claimed the shuttle’s wings would need to be removed for transport, a claim not supported by industry experts,” wrote Cornyn, Cruz, and Weber.
Checks and balances
The appeal to the DOJ advances similar concerns that Cornyn first raised in an August letter to Chief Justice John Roberts in his role as chancellor of the Smithsonian. In that correspondence, also co-authored by Weber, Cornyn urged that Roberts “conduct a comprehensive internal review” for any violations of the Anti-Lobbying Act and “immediate and appropriate corrective measures be implemented” if found.