White House fires most National Council on the Humanities members

The White House removed 22 of 26 National Council on the Humanities members on Oct. 1, 2025, leaving four members listed on the NEH page: Russell A. Berman, Keegan F. Callanan, William English, and Matthew Rose.

Termination emails reviewed by reporters were signed by MSMary Sprowls of the White House Presidential Personnel Office and read in part, 'Your position as a member of the National Council on the Humanities is terminated, effective immediately.'

The National Council on the Humanities has 26 slots and the council requires at least 14 members present for official votes under the agency's governing provisions.

The council is advisory. The NEH chair retains statutory authority to make grant decisions and run agency operations even if the council lacks a quorum.

NEH reports and multiple news outlets show the agency cut or canceled roughly 1,000–1,200 grants in early Apr. 2025 and executed a reduction in force in Jun. 2025 that eliminated about 100 positions, shrinking staff to roughly fewer than 60 employees.

Reporters and public records show the administration redirected some NEH and NEA funds toward the National Garden of American Heroes and related projects, but accounts vary on the exact totals and distribution across agencies.

Shelly C. Lowe left her post as NEH chair earlier in 2025; MSMichael S. McDonald, who had served as NEH general counsel, was serving in an acting leadership role by Mar. 2025 according to contemporaneous reporting.