WASHINGTON (AP) — Plaintiffs challenging the Trump administration’s cost-cutting measures against an agency that funds and promotes libraries across the U.S. said Thursday they settled the case with the Justice Department in a deal that would reverse some of the steps taken.
The American Library Association and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees said that they had reached an agreement with the Justice Department that will allow the Institute of Museum and Library Sciences to continue awarding grants and operating programs that support libraries and museums.
The Civil Division of the Justice Department, which agreed to the settlement, did not immediately comment.
The two organizations filed a lawsuit last May, spearheaded by the group Democracy Forward, to stop the administration from gutting the IMLS after President Donald Trump signed a March 14 executive order that referred to it as “unnecessary.”
The executive order forced cuts to staff, grants and programs.
The agency’s then acting director canceled grants and contracts and fired the members of the National Museum and Library Services Board.
“When the administration began shuttering IMLS last year, it set off a chain reaction. Libraries across the country started cutting hours, staff and services people rely on — after-school programs, support for job seekers and connection for older adults,” said American Library Association president Sam Helmick in a press statement.
The settlement said all reductions in force to the staff in 2025 have been rescinded and affected employees are authorized to return to work.
Lee Saunders, president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, called the settlement a victory for every community that depends on libraries and museums.
