Assemblymember Carroll Issues Statement on the Trump Administration Executive Order Eliminating the Federal Institute of Museum and Library Services
March 18, 2025
Albany, NY – Assemblymember Robert Carroll (D/WF-Brooklyn) issued the following statement on the Trump Administration’s Executive Order of Friday March 14, 2025, eliminating the Federal Institute of Museum and Library Services.
“The Trump Administration’s Executive Order gutting the Federal Institute of Museum and Library Services is deeply concerning and shows a truly appalling lack of vision and failure to understand what makes for a strong society. Both libraries and museums play a vital role in civic life, are centers of learning and culture, and are repositories of history and heritage. Libraries are also an important resource for communities that promote opportunity for people from all walks of life. As Chair of the New York State Committee on Libraries and Education Technology, I have a special responsibility to speak up on behalf of our libraries but we should all be angered at this gratuitous assault on the public realm. The New York State Library is highly reliant on federal funding, which supports two-thirds of its workforce. These staff administer the millions in State funding that libraries throughout the State depend on as well as providing a range of essential support services. While in the grand scheme of things, the federal funding for libraries may be modest, it is essential to our libraries in New York State and nationwide both in terms of dollars but also as an important marker of our national government’s commitment to the common good.”