Latest on IMLS as of 3/31

On March 31, the entire Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) staff was placed on administrative leave as a follow up to the executive order from March 14. Read AAM’s statement.

Placing the entire staff on administrative leave raises questions as to whether the agency will be able to fulfill its legal obligations to disburse congressionally appropriated funding, leaving museums, libraries, and communities across the country at risk of losing vital resources. We are in communication with our coalition partners and other stakeholders to assess the sector’s legal options.

If your legally promised grant or contract gets delayed or cancelled, please let your members of Congress know immediately. They need to hear how their districts and states are being impacted by these actions. Be as specific as possible on what is being lost.

We encourage you to continue to get the word out about the impacts of the dismantling of IMLS.

• Write AND call your members of Congress about what could be lost if IMLS is gutted.
• Write AND call your state-level elected officials and ask them to join in speaking up to members of Congress.
• Encourage your museum’s Board, supporters, and members to write and call their members of Congress.
• Share your story with local media.
• Invite Congress: Members of Congress will be in their home districts for two weeks in April 13-27, periodically home for extended weekends, and for all of August. Take the opportunity to invite your members of Congress to your museum, schedule a meeting with them in their district offices, or attend public forums that your members of Congress might be hosting.
• If you attended Museums Advocacy Day, contact staff members you met to let them know about the staff being placed on administrative leave.

Congressional Actions To Date:

• Senate Letter: Senators Jack Reed (D-RI), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Susan Collins (R-ME), and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), who were the lead authors of the Museum and Library Services Act of 2018, sent a letter to Sonderling reminding the Administration of its obligation to faithfully execute the provisions of the law as authorized and appropriated.
• Members of the New York Congressional delegation wrote a letter in opposition to the executive order on IMLS. View the letter.
• Members of the New Hampshire Congressional delegation wrote a letter urging the President to reverse the executive order on IMLS. View the letter.
• As noted in the previous communications, Reps. Dina Titus and Suzanne Bonamici are leading a letter in the House in support of IMLS, this letter is currently in the process of collecting signatures from other House members and we will share the final version with the full list of Congressional signers once the letter is final.