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FAQ: Executive Order Targeting IMLS
March 18, 2025
On Friday night, March 14, President Trump issued an Executive Order intended to dismantle the only federal agency
dedicated to funding library services, the Institute of Museum and Library Services
(IMLS), as well as six other agencies. This set of frequently asked questions
is intended to help library workers, library advocates, and library users understand this Executive Order.
What does this Executive Order do?
This White House announcement orders that seven agencies,
including the Institute of Museum and Library Services, be eliminated
to the maximum extent of the law and the agencies are ordered to reduce
their services and personnel to the minimum amount required to perform the functions required by law.
The announcement also orders the Office of Management and
Budget (OMB) to reject any budget requests from IMLS (and the other six named
agencies) other than funds needed to shut down the agency.
Is IMLS being eliminated?
The clear intent of the Executive Order, as stated in the language of the order, is to eliminate IMLS.
The Executive Order does not directly eliminate the agency
entirely. That would clearly exceed executive authority, because IMLS is established
by law. Instead, the Executive Order aims to move as far toward eliminating the
agency as possible. It requires that the agency only do what is “statutorily
required,” which means the actions required by current laws. At this time, it
is not fully clear which agency functions the Administration will deem to be “statutorily required."
The announcement orders that the head of each agency submit a list of functions
that they believe are statutorily required to the White House’s Office of Management
and Budget (OMB). Since the president has stated in his Executive Order that his
intent is to eliminate IMLS to the fullest extent that he is able, it is reasonable
to conclude that the Office of Management and Budget will take a narrow interpretation of what is statutorily required.
In addition, the order directs OMB to reject funding requests
from IMLS “except insofar as necessary to effectuate an expected termination”
of the agency. Therefore, it is expected that the president’s future budget
requests will propose to eliminate to IMLS.
What statutes apply to IMLS?
The Museum and Library Services Act (MLSA) is the law that
established IMLS. MLSA codifies the agency’s programs under the Library Services
& Technology Act (LSTA) and the Museum Services Act, as well as other agency
activities like data collection and the National Museum and Library Services Board.
MLSA was first enacted in 1996 and has been reauthorized on a bipartisan basis
several times since then – most recently in 2018, which was signed into law
by President Trump. As described above, it is not yet clear which agency functions
the Administration will deem to be “statutorily required."
In addition to MLSA, certain provisions of appropriations
laws apply to IMLS. Congress provides funding to IMLS annually through appropriations
laws, most recently in the law enacted on March 15, 2025. In addition to providing
funding for federal agencies to carry out programs and activities, these laws
also sometimes provide directions to the agencies.
Additionally, some provisions of law apply across all or several federal agencies,
including IMLS. For instance, all executive agencies are required to comply with
and implement the Freedom of Information Act. In addition, all federally funded
education programs (which is considered to include libraries and museums) must
comply with Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972.
What does this mean for grants to libraries?
At this time, it is unclear how the Executive Order may
impact current or future grant rounds.
But
didn’t Congress just fund IMLS?
On
March 14th, the Senate passed and the president signed a continuing resolution
for fiscal year 2025, which provides funding for IMLS through September 2025.
Although this continuing resolution provides funding for
IMLS, President Trump has instead directed the agency’s elimination all on the
same day. This Executive Order usurps the intent of Congress’s decision to provide
funding for IMLS, which President Trump agreed to in signing that law.
What will happen to the IMLS staff?
The Trump Administration has pursued several strategies
to reduce the federal workforce, including workers employed at IMLS. Some of these
attempts have been subject to litigation and disallowed by the courts, while other
efforts proceed. The March 14 Executive Order also aims to reduce, and eventually
eliminate, the number of employees at IMLS. If the Trump Administration is allowed
to proceed with a broad interpretation of the March 14 Executive Order, it likely
would result ultimately in the loss of employment for IMLS staff.
What does this mean for libraries?
The intent to undercut and eliminate the Institute for Museum
and Library Services (IMLS) is extremely shortsighted and perilous for the millions
of Americans who rely on our public, school, academic, and special libraries.
Library funding draws less than 0.003% of the annual federal budget yet has enormous
impact in communities nationwide. From technology classes for jobseekers to services
for people with disabilities, from library delivery for older Americans to summer
reading programs for families, IMLS funding makes a real, concrete difference
in the lives of Americans every day. The president’s Executive Order puts all of those services at risk.
How can the Executive Order be stopped or limited?
The March 14 Executive Order could be stopped or limited in the following ways:
- Congress could enact a law that overrides the president’s action.
- A court can overturn provisions of the Executive Order, or actions taken
to implement the Executive Order, that it finds to violate the Constitution or a federal law.
- President Trump, or a future president, could rescind or modify the Executive
Order, or direct that it be interpreted in ways that reduce the disruption of
IMLS’s activities and programs.
What is ALA doing?
The American Library Association is fighting for IMLS to
be preserved and to continue supporting our nation’s 125,000 public, school, academic, and special libraries.
Our policy and advocacy team in Washington DC is working
with partners and library supporters across the country to advocate for IMLS.
ALA leaders are raising awareness in the media of the devastating
impact that eliminating IMLS will have on communities. ALA is also working with
chapters to engage members of Congress in their state and to educate their elected
officials on the impact of federal dollars to libraries on their constituents.
Finally, we are mobilizing our members and library lovers everywhere to contact
their members of Congress, and to make their voices heard.
What can I do?
We
need every library supporter to show up and make their voices heard. Here are
concrete, effective actions you can take now:
This FAQ is
also available on the ALA website. |
