The Elon Musk-run Department of Government Efficiency infiltrated the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) only a week after President Trump signed an executive order calling for the IMLS to close, putting many employees at risk.
“The Institute of Museum and Library Services is being raided by D.O.G.E. and the new Acting Director (also somehow DepSec of Labor) Keith Sonderling with the express intent to shut it down,” a worker who goes by u/ruskiytroll wrote in the r/fednews subreddit. “Sonderling was sworn-in in the lobby of the office building (955 L’Enfant Plaza) and they are proceeding with quickly and quietly dismantling the agency. There is no major reporting on the death of IMLS. There are [Department] of Homeland Security personnel present – to bully a bunch of civil servants who administer grants to museums and libraries.”
The IMLS has 70 employees and an annual budget of $313 million. Its goal is to “advance, support, and empower America’s museums, libraries, and related organizations through grantmaking, research, and policy development.” Most funding for local libraries comes from local tax dollars, however, federal funding is often used for things like employee training and technology updates, especially in remote areas.
IMLS also supports all kinds of museums by “awarding grants that help them educate students, preserve and digitize collections, and connect with their communities.” The American Alliance of Museums released a statement against D.O.G.E, saying, “There is no efficiency argument when IMLS represents just 0.0046% of the federal budget, while museums generate $50 billion in economic impact.”
