Warren, Markey Demand Trump Admin Explain “Devastating” Cuts to Massachusetts Libraries and Museums
Cuts to nation’s libraries threaten to derail early childhood education and billions in economic benefits
“The potential cuts to [libraries and museums] are only the latest in a slew of cuts to federal grant funding that are devastating to Massachusetts and the entire nation.”
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Ed Markey (D-Mass.) wrote to Keith Sonderling, Acting Director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), seeking clarity on Trump administration attempts to eliminate federal support for libraries and museums in Massachusetts.
Massachusetts has over 1,700 libraries that benefit from federal funding, over 900 of which are at schools. Additionally, museums–many of which receive funding through IMLS grant programs–generate an outsized $50 billion in economic benefit to the American economy and support more than 726,000 jobs across the country.
On March 14, 2025, President Trump issued an executive order calling for the elimination of IMLS, the largest source of funding for libraries in Massachusetts. Shortly after, the entire IMLS staff was placed on administrative leave, grants and contracts were abruptly suspended, and dozens of grants to libraries, archives, and museums across the country were terminated - and then the chaos continued as the administration partially reversed itself.
“Donald Trump’s cuts to museums and libraries are an attack on our nation’s history and on children’s education. This chaos will jeopardize $50 billion in economic benefit and over 720,000 jobs," said Senator Warren. "As the Trump administration continues to damage our communities, Senator Markey and I will keep fighting for families in Massachusetts and across the country.”
“Childhood afternoons spent at the Malden Public Library story hour are what taught me how to dream. These proposed cuts to funding threaten neighborhood library and museum programs that support curiosity, learning, and access to information,” said Senator Markey. “I am proud to join Senator Warren to demand answers from the Trump administration on why they want to eliminate these critical resources in the Commonwealth. Our communities deserve a brighter future. Our children deserve a chance to dream big.”
Warren and Markey called out Acting Director Sonderling for his participation in the chaos, particularly his “wildly confusing bait-and-switch, first terminating, then ‘upon further review’ authorizing partial back payments, and in some cases, reinstating grants.”
The attempt to eliminate IMLS has been challenged in court, and a federal judge has halted the efforts to terminate the agency. Still, the Trump administration has not given up on eliminating IMLS, appealing the court ruling and requesting a stay while the appeal makes its way through the courts.
“The Trump Administration’s attempts to gut the IMLS are shortsighted, and if they are successful, will be devastating to communities in Massachusetts and throughout the country,” said the senators.
IMLS-funded library programs include research databases which are used primarily by schools, statewide inter-library loan programs which help rural areas access more books, and e-book and audiobook loan programs which have more than doubled since 2019. The IMLS also plays an important role in ensuring internet access for all Americans through the American Broadband Initiative, by helping to “identify and remove barriers to broadband access and digital resources.”
“These cuts have had a devastating impact on individuals and institutions in Massachusetts, and the potential cuts to the IMLS raise even more concern about how Massachusetts residents are hurt by the Trump Administration’s actions, and the callous and opaque way in which they are being carried out,” wrote the senators.
Since the cuts began, libraries and museums across the Commonwealth have reached out to Warren and Markey’s offices expressing concern.
One constituent highlighted how IMLS resources help elementary school students in Massachusetts who are “gaining momentum” in their learning and reading journeys, and “fill a gap that could never be filled otherwise” with these resources.
Another constituent emphasized the importance of libraries for families and communities, saying “[t]here is no other place where families can go, completely for free, and access this combination of education, entertainment, and community…Without it, we lose more than just materials…And we lose one of the few places that still exists for the public good.”
“Lawmakers and the public deserve an explanation for why you and the Trump Administration have decided to dismantle the IMLS, a source of critical funding that does so much good for so many people in Massachusetts and every state in the nation,” wrote the lawmakers.
Warren and Markey asked Acting Director Sonderling to explain the agency’s plan to comply with minimum funding requirements for each state, detail the plan to comply with court orders halting the agency’s elimination, and provide clarity on the future of certain funding for programs and museums across the country by June 24, 2025.
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