Statement: Rejecting the FY2027 Trump IMLS Budget

EveryLibrary strongly opposes the Administration’s FY2027 budget proposal because it forces the shutdown of the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), directly threatening the federal government’s longstanding commitment to libraries, archives, and museums and the essential services they provide to Americans nationwide.

This proposal represents a fundamental break with decades of bipartisan support for the federal cultural and knowledge infrastructure that Americans rely on every day. Through the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), and the Library of Congress, the federal government sustains a national framework for access to information, preservation of history, and public learning. These institutions are core civic infrastructure and are not viewed as optional or discretionary by the public who rely on and appreciate them.

The IMLS "Grants to States" program is the backbone of federal library funding. It ensures that every state and territory receives formula-based support to sustain statewide services, including early literacy, community learning, broadband access, and resource sharing. A “shutdown” budget would disrupt this system, creating immediate and cascading harm to public libraries, school libraries, and the communities they serve. As the courts have said, only Congress can shut down these federal supports.

Defunding IMLS and threatening the independence of the Library of Congress and National Archives signals a broader shift in how knowledge institutions are valued in federal policy. These actions threaten systems that preserve the public record, ensure access to information, and support free exchange of ideas. Reducing funding for these institutions has significant implications for intellectual freedom and library workers.

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In 2025, 21 state attorneys general successfully challenged efforts to dismantle IMLS, and the federal court in Rhode Island restored the agency’s operations, reaffirming that these programs are authorized by Congress and must be carried out consistent with the law. That decision preserved IMLS operations even as Congress reauthorized funding last fiscal year. It made clear that the executive branch cannot unilaterally abandon these statutory obligations. The President’s FY2027 proposal seeks to achieve the same outcome through the appropriations process he attempted with his illegal Executive Order.

EveryLibrary calls on Congress to reject any proposal that would cut IMLS, NARA, or the Library of Congress below functional levels. We urge Congress to sustain and strengthen the funding formula that underpins nationwide library services and guarantees uninterrupted public access to essential resources. Please take a stand for IMLS funding with your members of Congress by sending a message today on SaveIMLS.org, our federal action site. 

Finally, while others may have moved on from Project 2025, EveryLibrary has not. We continue to pay close attention to this policy blueprint and its implications for Americans from all walks of life. Whether you use libraries or not, the civic, social, and literacy backbone libraries represent is too important to lose. EveryLibrary will continue to mobilize advocates, state partners, and national coalitions to vigorously defend this funding and calls on the public to join us. We encourage everyone who values the right to access information, knowledge, and history to contact their representatives and demand full support for libraries, archives, and museums.