Work at the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) in Washington, D.C., came to a screeching halt yesterday afternoon after the entire staff was placed on administrative leave, effective immediately, by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Between 55 and 70 employees received a letter that has been circulating on social media. In that letter, the employees were informed that they would be placed on administrative leave with full pay and benefits for the next 90 days. Staffers were not allowed on the premises, the letter said, and they were required to turn in government property and email accounts were disabled.
“Please understand that this action is not punitive,” the letter said, “but rather is taken to facilitate the work and operations of the agency.”
The news comes after President Donald Trump signed an executive order, “Continuing the Reduction of the Federal Bureaucracy,” which called for the IMLS to be “eliminated to the maximum extent consistent with applicable law” within seven days. That order follows another that shrank seven federal agencies, among them the IMLS.
Earlier this month, Trump appointed the deputy secretary of labor Keith E. Sonderling as the new acting director of IMLS.
Established in 1996, IMLS provides resources to museums and libraries across all 50 states and territories. Also under its purview are the Institute of Museum Services and the Library Programs Office. Last year, the agency awarded some $266.7 million in grants and research funding to support cultural institutions across the United States.
Between 2016 and 2024, Congress appropriated between $230 and $457 million to the agency. For the 2025 fiscal year, $280 million was requested.
Most public libraries are primarily funded by city and county taxes. But the advocacy group EveryLibrary said in a statement that “without this core federal funding for state libraries, museums, and archives, we risk losing critical programs and services in every state.”
While the status of previously awarded grants remains unclear, according to an email from the American Federation of Government Employees Local 3403, “without staff to administer the programs, it is likely that most grants will be terminated.” Moreover, the email said, “The 2025 grant application program had already been paused.”
As the future of the IMLS hangs in the balance, with the entire staff on leave, there are “questions as to whether the agency will be able to fulfill its legal obligations to disperse congressionally appropriated funding, leaving museums, libraries, and communities across the country at risk of losing vital resources,” the American Alliance of Museums (AAM) said in a statement.
“This move continues to undermine the will of the American people—96% of whom want to see federal funding for museums maintained or increased—and prevents American taxpayer dollars from reaching America’s communities. We are in communication with our coalition partners and other stakeholders to assess the sector’s legal options,” the AAM statement continued.
IMLS makes up only 0.0046 percent of the federal budget while the museum sector generates $50 billion in economic impact.
