Smithsonian Responds to Media Reports on Travel

Media stories questioning Secretary Wayne Clough’s travel are based on incorrect conclusions or misinterpretations of documents provided by the Smithsonian.

To clarify: The Secretary is not a federal employee. None of this travel was paid for with Smithsonian federal funds. Rather, the Smithsonian paid for his travel with Smithsonian funds that come from non-federal sources. Those sources include donations; revenues generated from Smithsonian shops and restaurants; and the Smithsonian endowment.

All of Secretary Clough’s travel is related to furthering the Smithsonian’s mission of increasing and diffusing knowledge. That mission is not confined to Washington, D.C., museums—in fact, it spans nearly 100 countries where Smithsonian research, facilities and programs are located.

Secretary Clough follows all rules and policies regulating his travel as the chief executive officer of the Smithsonian. This includes travel paid for by Smithsonian funds, and travel funded by other groups—for example, a university that invites the Secretary to be commencement speaker.

Each of the Secretary’s trips is reviewed and monitored to ensure it is related to the mission and meets approved expense levels. The Secretary’s travel is reviewed by the Under Secretary for Finance and Administration/Chief Financial Officer. 

In 2007 and 2008, the Smithsonian revised its travel policy and regulations as part of a larger Smithsonian-wide governance reform.    

The Smithsonian travel policy conforms to the Federal Travel Regulations (FTR) and also covers additional items and situations not found in the FTR. In some cases, the Smithsonian has more detailed rules than the FTR.

For a more detailed response, see this document.

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SI-69-2012