White House FY2027 Budget Leaves Out IMLS

In the proposed fiscal year 2027 budget released by the White House on April 3, no funding is promised for the Institute of Museum and Library Services or for the Innovative Approaches to Literacy program for school libraries. For more than a year, IMLS has been a target of the Trump Administration. The White House budget also advises “cuts to woke programs” including “$70 million used to indoctrinate new teachers” with “training materials” on diversity, equity, inclusion, and antiracism.

IMLS is the federal agency that administers the Library Services and Technology Act, providing Grants to States and competitive grants for all kinds of libraries across the nation and U.S. territories. IAL funds, which support school libraries, are managed by the Department of Education. The American Library Association is asking Congress to increase IMLS and IAL appropriations.

“ALA members have a solid track record of defeating the president’s threats, but we do not underestimate the lengths to which he will go to undercut support for America’s libraries,” 2025–2026 ALA president Sam Helmick said in a statement. “ALA is working to make sure decisionmakers continue to hear from library advocates.” They directed ALA members to the association’s appeal to fund libraries. 

Helmick added, “The president’s continued attack on IMLS in today’s budget and last year’s executive order to shutter IMLS shows the extent to which the administration is tone deaf to the needs of millions of Americans who rely on libraries every day.”