The proposed Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 federal budget released April 3 by the White House would cut funding for the only federal agency dedicated to supporting all types of libraries, the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS); the school library program Innovative Approaches to Literacy (IAL); and several library-eligible programs.
In reponse, the American Library Association (ALA) released the following statement from ALA President Sam Helmick:
“We are not surprised that the White House FY27 budget zeroes out funding for IMLS and IAL. The president’s intentions for IMLS were clear last year with the executive order to dismantle IMLS and cut off its funding. His FY27 budget follows a pattern started in his first term, when he proposed eliminating IMLS in four consecutive budget cycles.
“The president has repeatedly underestimated congressional support for libraries and the lengths to which advocates will go to protect library services. Thanks to library advocacy, Congress increased library funding, just as they did all four years of the president’s first term.
“ALA members have a solid track record of defeating the president’s threats, but we do not underestimate the lengths to which he will go to undercut support for America’s libraries. ALA is working to make sure decisionmakers continue to hear from library advocates. Already this year, thousands of advocates have emailed and called their congressmembers to go on record as supportive of federal funding for libraries. Right now, ALA members are asking their senators to sign letters of support for IMLS and IAL.
“The president’s continued attack on IMLS in today’s budget and last year’s executive order to shutter IMLS shows the extent to which the administration is tone deaf to the needs of millions of Americans who rely on libraries every day: older adults and veterans who use library telehealth spaces; unemployed people who use library resources to find a new job or learn new skills; families who count on story time; and students and faculty who do research in school and academic libraries.
“The president has repeatedly underestimated congressional support for libraries and the lengths to which advocates will go to protect library services. Thanks to library advocacy, Congress increased library funding, just as they did all four years of the president’s first term.”
In addition to cutting funding for IMLS and IAL, the White House budget proposal severely cuts or eliminates funding for library-eligible federal programs, including:
|
|
FY 2027 proposed |
FY 2026 |
|
National Endowment for the Arts |
$29 million |
$208 million |
|
National Endowment for the Humanities |
$39 million |
$192 million |
|
Federal Work Study |
$123 million |
$1.24 billion |
|
Federal TRIO programs |
$0 |
$1.19 billion |
|
Adult Education State Grants |
$791 million |
$1.44 billion |
|
Supplemental Education Opportunity Grants |
$0 |
$914 million |
Background
On March 14, 2025, President Trump issued Executive Order 14238, which intended to dismantle IMLS, as well as six other agencies. While the president’s FY26 budget request proposed eliminating IMLS, Congress ultimately passed a spending package that included a $1.4 million increase for federal library programs.
Congress also rejected President Trump’s cuts to IMLS in all four budget proposals during his first term in office. ALA is calling on Congress to do so again and to protect funding for IMLS. ALA urges library supporters to contact their congressmembers in support of IMLS funding.
In addition to winning congressional support, ALA has also led efforts to preserve IMLS through the courts.
In April 2025, ALA and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), the largest union representing library and museum workers, challenged the administration’s actions in a case brought before the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. In November, in a parallel lawsuit brought by attorneys general from 21 states, a federal judge struck down the administration’s actions to dismantle IMLS.
What you can do
ALA has created “Show Up For Our Libraries” resources for advocates to voice their support for libraries to legislators. Currently, ALA is encouraging advocates to ask their Senators to sign two letters addressed to Senate appropriators in support of funding for two federal library programs: the Library Services and Technology Act, administered by IMLS, and the Education Department’s Innovative Approaches to Literacy program. April 17 is the deadline for senators to add their signatures to the letters. The House letters, submitted in March, garnered 134 signatures for LSTA and 77 for IAL.
Shawnda Hines is Deputy Director, Communications at ALA’s Public Policy & Advocacy Office.
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