Multi-state Coalition Suing to Stop Dismantling of Federal Agencies That Support Libraries, Museums, Minority-Owned Businesses, and Workers

Attorney General Dan Rayfield today joined a coalition of 19 other attorneys general in suing the Trump administration to stop the dismantling of three federal agencies that provide services and funding supporting public libraries and museums, workers, and minority-owned businesses nationwide.

In March, the Trump administration issued an Executive Order that would dismantle federal agencies created by Congress that collectively provide hundreds of millions of dollars for programs in every state. As a result of this Executive Order, the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) – one of the targeted agencies – has placed almost its entire staff on administrative leave and will cut hundreds of grants for state libraries and museums. The lawsuit filed by Attorney General Rayfield and the coalition seeks to stop the targeted destruction of the IMLS and two other agencies targeted in the administration’s EO that millions of Americans rely on, especially those in underserved communities.

“These agencies provide essential resources for education, culture and economic growth, and Trump is stripping them away to score cheap political points,” Rayfield said. “This is a deliberate attempt to erase the spaces where people learn, connect and thrive.”

This Executive Order is the administration’s latest attempt to dismantle federal agencies in defiance of Congress. Attorney General Rayfield and the coalition are seeking to stop the dismantling of three agencies targeted in the administration’s Executive Order:

1. The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), which supports museums and libraries nationwide through grantmaking, research, and policy development.
2.  The Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA), which promotes the growth and inclusion of minority-owned businesses through federal financial assistance programs; and
3. The Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS), which promotes peaceful resolution of labor disputes.

As Attorney General Rayfield and the coalition assert in the lawsuit, dismantling these agencies will have devastating effects on communities throughout Oregon and the nation that rely on them to provide important services to the public, including funding their libraries, promoting minority-owned businesses, and protecting workers’ rights.

In Oregon, among other things, the loss of the federal funding would greatly impact our local libraries, especially those in 15 rural counties, which get assistance from the Oregon State Library. It would also affect the Oregon Battle of the Books program, an annual competition for students around the state.

Attorney General Rayfield and the coalition argue that the Executive Order violates the Constitution and the Administrative Procedure Act by eliminating the programs of agencies without any regard for the laws and regulations that govern each source of federal funding. The coalition argues that the president cannot decide to unilaterally override laws governing federal spending, and that this Executive Order unconstitutionally overrides Congress’s power to decide how federal funds are spent.

Joining Attorney General Rayfield in this lawsuit are the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin.