On March 14, 2025, President Donald Trump signed an executive order whose stated purpose is to continue “the reduction in the elements of the Federal bureaucracy that the President has determined are unnecessary.”
An executive order is a written directive signed by the president that orders the government to take specific actions to ensure “the laws be faithfully executed.” It might mean telling a department to implement a certain rule or declaring a new policy priority. Executive orders, however, cannot override federal laws and statutes.
The executive order directs seven federal entities, including the Institute of Museum & Library Services (IMLS), to eliminate all “non-statutory components and functions to the maximum extent consistent with applicable law.” The IMLS is an independent federal agency that supports libraries and museums through grantmaking, research, and policy development. IMLS administers federal grants to states, which determine how funds are spent, and discretionary grants to individual library entities. In 2024, the IMLS' budget allocation was $266.7 million, or about 0.003% of the total federal budget.
In 2024, Harris County Public Library received the IMLS National Medal for Museum and Library Service, the nation's highest honor for libraries, in recognition of HCPL's outstanding service to its community.
It is not known at the present time how the executive order will affect HCPL and other public, school, and academic libraries in the U.S. IMLS grants to the Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC) have funded Texshare databases, which are a collection of e-resources licensed for the exclusive use of Texas libraries and their patrons. IMLS grants to TSLAC cover about 75% of the cost of the Texashare online resources that HCPL provides to its patrons free of charge. These include resources for small businesses and entrepreneurs, a wide range of learning and homework tools for elementary, middle, and high school students, health and wellness databases, as well as skills learning tools for workforce development.
Learn More
Executive Order, March 14, 2025 (full text): Continuing the Reduction of the Federal Bureaucracy
American Library Association: FAQ: Executive Order Targeting IMLS
Urban Libraries Council: America’s Public Libraries Support IMLS
EveryLibrary.org: Statement on Trump's Attack on Federal Funding for Libraries
EveryLibrary.org: Understanding IMLS's “Shall” and “May” Language
Information Today: Library Community Rallies to Save IMLS | More Reactions to the Executive Order Targeting IMLS