IMLS Spared in Legal Battle—But Threat of Budget Cuts Looms
A settlement between the U.S. Department of Justice and plaintiffs the American Library Association (ALA) and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) has preserved the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) after President Donald Trump sought to eliminate it. Trump issued an executive order on March 14, 2025, to eliminate IMLS, after which the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) arrived and the agency’s staff were placed on administrative leave by the end of the month; subsequent lawsuits led to court orders blocking the shutdown and staff terminations. In November, a court ruled the dismantling attempt unlawful and unconstitutional, and IMLS reinstated previously terminated grants; the administration later withdrew its appeal and agreed to the settlement. Despite Congress maintaining IMLS funding at $291.8 million (and $207 million each for the NEA and NEH) against Trump’s 2026 proposal to eliminate them, the article notes the administration’s proposed 2027 budget again seeks to eliminate IMLS and that agency priorities have shifted, including the removal of the NEA’s Challenge America grants.
From This Briefing
This story was covered in Biennales in Flux, Institutions Under Pressure