Government

DOGE placed the roughly 75 employees who comprise the Institute of Museum and Library Sciences on paid “administrative leave” for up to 90 days. A letter from the agency’s director of human resources told employees they would not be allowed on the premises during the leave, and their email accounts are suspended. “Please understand this action is not punitive but rather is taken to facilitate the work and operations of the agency,” the letter claims. The workers are represented by the AFGE Local 3403 union, which says the action came after a “brief meeting between DOGE staff and IMLS leadership.” […]

A new executive order issued Friday called for the elimination of the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the nation’s only federal agency for supporting libraries. The office of 75 workers administers grants to libraries throughout the US. The executive order reads: “the non-statutory components and functions of the following governmental entities shall be eliminated to the maximum extent consistent with applicable law, and such entities shall reduce the performance of their statutory functions and associated personnel to the minimum presence and function required by law.” The IMLS had requested grant money of approximately $255 million for fiscal 2025, and […]