AFSCME-backed lawsuit forces reinstatement of federal museum and library funding

The federal Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) will release millions in grant funding to libraries and museums it was withholding.

First created and funded by Congress in 1996, the IMLS is the federal agency that provides essential coordination, research and funding for the nation’s libraries, museums, public gardens, aquariums, zoos and other cultural institutions.

In March 2025, the agency became the target of the Trump administration’s assault on public services when the president issued an executive order to decimate the agency.

AFSCME fought the executive order on two legal fronts. In the first, AFSCME was a plaintiff in a joint lawsuit filed with the American Library Association. In the second, which was ultimately victorious, AFSCME joined cultural institutions in support of a lawsuit filed by the attorneys general of 21 states. 

“Because of [the IMLS’s] support, AFSCME members at cultural institutions nationwide educate the next generation, help workers access job training and provide a safe space where anyone can learn,” AFSCME President Lee Saunders said in September. “We will continue to defend our communities from these attempts to deprive us of our history, our resources, and our freedom to learn.” 

The agency has had bipartisan support throughout its history and is especially important to smaller and rural institutions that rely on federal funding for a greater share of their budgets.

Cultural workers across the nation are increasingly standing up to demand better pay, benefits and working conditions by forming their unions with AFSCME. Click here to learn more.