The Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and the Trump administration were sued by the American Library Association and a union, which later asked a court to block what they said were cuts to a federal agency that funds libraries.
“Without grant funding or IMLS staff to process reimbursements, local and state libraries will suffer an immediate and irreparable inability to pay vendors or staff hired in reliance on IMLS’ promise to make these reimbursements,“ the April 7 lawsuit said. ”In addition, IMLS provides important day-to-day services and advice to libraries across the country, which has already ceased, causing irreparable harm.”
The IMLS and other agencies were directed by officials to be “eliminated to the maximum extent consistent with applicable law, and such entities shall reduce the performance of their statutory functions and associated personnel to the minimum presence and function required by law,” the order stated.
The groups in their lawsuit argued that “Congress is the only entity that may lawfully dismantle the agency, not the President and certainly not DOGE“ and that the defendants in the lawsuit ”took these actions to dismantle IMLS, and they were taken without congressional authorization.”
Providing more details about DOGE activity within the IMLS, the lawsuit alleged that members of the group “gutted the agency” after Trump’s executive order on March 21.
“They initially placed all IMLS staff on administrative leave ... and cut off their access to the agency’s office and electronic systems, including email,” they said.
“On April 3, Defendants sent termination notices to virtually all IMLS staff on administrative leave, retaining only 12 IMLS employees.
“On April 1, 2025, Defendants began canceling IMLS grants. On April 4, Defendant [Keith] Sonderling fired all 23 members of the National Museum and Library Services Board.”
Sonderling is the acting director of IMLS, who was also named in the lawsuit.
The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, naming the U.S. DOGE Service, Sonderling, Trump, acting DOGE Administrator Amy Gleason, the U.S. DOGE Temporary Organization, the Office of Management and Budget, and its director, Russell Vought.
Created by an executive order in January by Trump, DOGE’s mission is to root out abuse, fraud, and waste in federal agencies. Over the past several months, however, a number of lawsuits have been filed against the organization, with varying degrees of success.
On Thursday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said he signed a memorandum outlining $5.1 billion in cuts to the Department of Defense via terminated contracts with the Pentagon that were identified by DOGE. The effort is backed by Musk, a special government employee under the Trump administration who effectively serves as DOGE’s frontman.
