Trump is defunding libraries and museums nationwide—sign the petition to fight back!
Dear fellow MoveOn member,
One month ago, Donald Trump launched an outright attack on federal funding for libraries and museums with his executive order to dismantle the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), as well as six other agencies.1
IMLS is the only federal agency dedicated to funding library services and supporting museums, and the Trump administration’s decision to defund it is terrifying not only for librarians but for Americans as a whole. This will have a direct impact on people across the country who rely on libraries and museums as vital community anchors, especially the state and local ones that these cuts will hit the hardest.
Do not defund our libraries and museums!
This is about more than books—people depend on librarians to help them bridge the digital divide that affects our world. Federal funding for libraries helps pay for things like workforce development training and bolsters essential services like computer and internet access in rural communities.2 Pulling this support could even jeopardize crucial literacy development and reading programs.
Trump’s move to eliminate the IMLS is also deeply unpopular, as 96% of Americans support maintaining or increasing federal museum funding.3 This is just another example of the inefficiency of Elon Musk’s so-called DOGE agency. It’s not about actually saving money. The IMLS represents just 0.0046% of the federal budget, while museums generate $50 billion in economic impact.4
All of us will feel the impact of these cuts, and that especially goes for vulnerable populations, like unhoused Americans and those living in rural communities. Federal funding for libraries supports braille and talking books for people with visual impairments, veterans’ telehealth spaces, and employment assistance for job seekers.5
Without this core federal funding for libraries and museums, we risk losing critical programs and services in every state. This is the time to make our voices heard.
Join me in demanding support for libraries and museums nationwide. Sign my petition to the Trump administration and lawmakers now!
Thanks for all you do.
–Sarah F., MoveOn member
Sources:
1. “FAQ: Executive Order Targeting IMLS,” American Library Association, March 18, 2025
https://www.ala.org/faq-executive-order-targeting-imls
2. “Federal agency responsible for library and museum funding gets a visit from DOGE,” NPR, March 20, 2025
https://www.npr.org/2025/03/20/nx-s1-5335600/library-museum-funding-doge-sonderling
3. “AAM Statement on the Executive Order, Continuing the Reduction of the Federal Bureaucracy,” American Alliance of Museums, March 17, 2025
https://www.aam-us.org/2025/03/17/aam-statement-on-the-executive-order-continuing-the-reduction-of-the-federal-bureaucracy
4. Ibid.
5. “ALA statement on White House assault on the Institute of Museum and Library Services,” American Library Association, March 15, 2025
https://www.ala.org/news/2025/03/ala-statement-white-house-assault-institute-museum-and-library-services
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