Trump cuts have WA libraries, museums and tribes scrambling

For nearly 30 years, the Institute of Museum and Library Services has supported libraries, historical societies and museums across the United States. Now, the federal agency is being dismantled. 

On March 14, President Donald Trump issued an executive order to gut the IMLS. On April 1, $3.9 million in funding designated for Washington was terminated, mirroring cuts from California to Connecticut. Funding for tribal cultural institutions across the U.S. was cut April 9, per the Association of Tribal Archives, Libraries, and Museums.

Leaders from libraries, museums, cultural organizations and tribes aren’t backing away from the fight. 

A federal lawsuit was filed April 8 on behalf of the American Library Association and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, a union representing museum and library workers, seeking “declaratory and injunctive relief with respect to unlawful actions taken by President Donald Trump and his administration to dismantle” the IMLS. The lawsuit underscores the nonpartisan importance of these institutions in preserving the history and vitality of our democracy. 

A White House spokesperson told The Seattle Times the IMLS was reduced “in line with President Trump’s executive orders to reduce the federal bureaucracy.” 

“President Trump is making museums and libraries great again,” the spokesperson said. “His executive order is cutting bureaucracy and bloat to help the Institute of Museum and Library Services better showcase American exceptionalism with greater efficiency for the public.” 

When asked about the effect of these cuts on the arts, the White House defended Trump’s commitment to culture, referencing his recent efforts to “revitalize historic institutions like the Kennedy Center.” The president “was elected to eliminate waste, fraud and abuse, which includes taxpayer funding to woke priorities.” 

Meanwhile, cuts are happening in the Evergreen State and the other Washington. 

Laura Huerta Migus, former deputy director of the office of museum services for the IMLS, could not be reached for comment. On Monday, she wrote on LinkedIn that it was her first week “in almost four years not working at IMLS.” Huerta Migus advanced initiatives such as the National Museum Survey, Museums for All, which provided access to museums for low-income families. 

Her departure reflects the challenges and cuts cultural institutions nationwide face with shifting federal priorities. Cultural leaders across Washington warn the consequences of the IMLS reductions will be immediate and irreversible, especially for people with disabilities, and for tribal and rural communities.

“Museums and libraries won’t go away” due to these cuts, said Leonard Garfield, executive director of Seattle’s Museum of History & Industry. “But they won’t evolve with our community, reflect it, or grow with it.” 

Libraries are “a lifesaver” 

In Seattle, the Washington Talking Book & Braille Library will be hit hard. 

Executive Director Danielle Miller said IMLS funding supports assistive technology, access to BARD (Braille and Audio Reading Download) information, VoiceOver training and assistive technology workshops. Miller said losing IMLS funding would severely curtail personalized support for patrons, too. 

“Terminated IMLS funding will end our ability to offer patrons access to Bookshare subscriptions, decrease resources that we use to keep our technology and equipment current in our local book production, and end programs that we offer patrons,” Miller said. “It will close our patron computer lab and stop supplemental services we offer like monthly recommended reads lists and reader support.” 

Marci Carpenter, who was born blind and is the president of the National Federation of the Blind of Washington, said she “started using library services in junior high,” reading stories via Braille and BARD. 

“For many blind people, WTBBL is a lifesaver,” she said. “It gives them their lives back by restoring the ability to read.” 

Carpenter said cuts will disproportionately harm people with disabilities. 

“Blind children will lose Braille reading skills. All new books and materials for print-disabled children will not be produced anymore. There will be new blind people without access to reading,” she said. “Everything about our disabled communities is under threat.” 

It’s far more than novels at risk: “Washington voters guides in Braille will disappear,” Carpenter said. “For those new to blindness or with advancing vision loss, this is voter suppression.” 

Miller added the Trump cuts will harm efforts to make published works available for people who are blind, visually impaired or otherwise print-disabled. Without IMLS, the global book famine will deepen. 

Ron Chew, author, former executive director of the Wing Luke Museum, former editor of the International Examiner and trustee of the Seattle Public Library, noted that SPL is primarily funded locally, but that IMLS grants provided nearly $500,000 to support teen mental health following COVID-19. 

Sara Jones, Washington’s state librarian, stressed that the $3.9 million in reneged IMLS funding will devastate library services in our state. 

“Small towns have been helped to obtain internet connections and research databases at a discount rate; these towns will have barriers obtaining librarians,” she said. “With our funds terminated, we must send notices to lay off staff who have specialized degrees in library and information science. University programs will have less funding for library staff.” 

The pinch will be felt widely, by libraries and the many people who rely upon them. 

“Prison and state hospital library professionals, technology services and book purchases will be lost,” she said. Jones added that other IMLS grants have been nixed, with funds earmarked for the state, King County libraries and the University of Washington.   

“Consultants that run professional webpages for local community professionals and businesses are gone,” she said, underscoring it isn’t just libraries themselves that will be affected. “These small towns will lose fundamental services and expertise. This money is gone; every state library in this nation will lose efficiency and effectiveness.” 

Museums and tribes react

Garfield, the MOHAI executive director, said the museum used $700,000 in IMLS money to increase accessibility through closed captioning, multilingual resources, visual descriptions and tactile exhibits.

He also highlighted the transformative effect of IMLS funding on the museum’s digitization efforts. Digital Humanities grants preserved historically marginalized stories, including the Al Smith Collection showcasing notable works by a Black photographer. 

Garfield stressed that without digital access, sharing these priceless collections with the community is impossible. 

Brian Carter, executive director of King County’s 4Culture office and founding deputy director of the Northwest African American Museum, said IMLS funds supported capacity building, professional development and infrastructure improvements at NAAM, underscoring the importance of those funds in supporting internships from UW museology programs. 

This interconnected support demonstrates the role of IMLS money in fostering diversity and inclusion in curatorial practices across multiple institutions. 

The money also helps Native American tribes safeguard their history. 

Brandon Taft, library technician and website manager of the Jamestown S’Klallam Library, emphasized the importance of IMLS funding in the tribe’s acquisition of books and preservation of culture. The IMLS supported the creation of a digital museum with special collections and oral histories called the House of the Seven Generations. 

“IMLS grant work played a huge part in their development,” Taft said. “Through hard work, the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribal Library became a space worthy of the 2019 National Medal Award for Museum and Library Services, which helped fund our new library and exhibit space, further ensuring the preservation of Jamestown S’Klallam culture.”  

Discussing the effect of federal funding on the Jamestown S’Klallam Library, Taft highlighted the Primetime Family Reading Program, which was made possible by Humanities Washington, supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities, which is also in danger. 

This program provides family learning, helping S’Klallam families sustain their relationship with plants, waters and land. If funds aren’t restored or replaced, the Primetime program might be lost. 

The Sauk-Suiattle Indian Tribe recently received a $9,600 NEH grant to secure fireproof cabinets for the tribe’s records. The tribe also applied for an IMLS Enhancement grant to preserve and teach the Northern Lushootseed language to members. That application is likely now terminated. 

Leonard Forsman, the tribal chairman of the Suquamish Nation and board president of the Suquamish Museum, echoed the importance of preserving cultural heritage, supporting youth programs and fostering community connections. IMLS grants have supported various projects for the museum and tribe, including exhibits, oral history projects and cultural preservation efforts.  

“Collections Assessment grants preserve and revitalize traditional knowledge, regalia, language, history and culture,” he said, while the loss of Enhancement grants hinders the ability of tribal libraries and museums to implement community-driven priorities. Examples include the 2009 Centennial Canoe Journey and education about fishing rights. 

“IMLS opened partnerships with international tribes, states and museums like the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture,” Forsman said. “This process helps Lummi, Suquamish and the Burke museums to grow our programs.” 

Danielle Morsette, a world-class weaver, is a living example of why cultural preservation and representation are so imperative. 

“My first blanket was a tribute to the Bill and Fran James blanket in the Suquamish Museum Collection. This blanket was the first one that called me to weaving. I remember seeing it as a little girl,” Morsette said. 

“I was never their direct student,” she continued, but “I have so much respect for them and the influence they had on me as a weaver. Their work showed me what was possible, and I carry that with me in everything that I create.” 

From mental health services and print-disabled access to Indigenous language preservation and professional development for emerging curators, the loss is deep and far-reaching as the IMLS comes under siege. 

Together, library, tribal and museum leaders in Washington have painted a collective portrait of what is at stake: access, equity and cultural memory. Ensuring that all can read, learn and be represented is not political, these leaders say; it is constitutional.

Seattle Times arts economy reporter Margo Vansynghel contributed to this report.