Make America Proud: The Brusque Presidential Agenda Eliminating the Vital Funding Agencies of the US Art World
By Millie Barker
The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the main source of federal funding for libraries. Image courtesy of Shannon Finney/Institute of Museum and Library Service.
Amid President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs, the Presidential Administration is taking steps to eliminate the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and the National Endowment for Humanities (NEH). These agencies underpin the entire museum and library ecosystem in the US, financially supporting a range of cultural and educational institutions, from museums to zoos, through grants, research, and policy initiatives. For instance, in 2024, the IMLS awarded $267 million to museums and libraries, supporting over 726,000 jobs.
On 31 March there was an 85% reduction in staff at the IMLS as employees were placed on administrative leave. Following this reduction, a statement from the union that represents the IMLS staff informed the art world that 2025 grants would be paused as there were no staff able to process the applications. At the same time, Trump’s administration has also cancelled the NEH’s most recent grants, aiming to use the funds to instead further the President’s agenda. The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) seeks to eliminate the NEH funding and staff by as much as 80%.
The IMLS receives funding through annual appropriations determined by Congress. In 2024, this appropriation amounted to $294.8m – making up only 0.0046% of the Federal budget. The NEH similarly operated on a budget of $211m, which the National Humanities Alliance, in a statement released on 1 April, called an annual appropriation that ‘amounts to a rounding error in the US Budget.’
Despite this small budget, the impact of funding from the IMLS far outstrips its appropriation as it provides critical resources to libraries and museums across all states, with the museum sector in turn generating $50 million in economic impact. Similarly, the NEH supports projects through direct grants and is vital for the survival of state humanities councils, many of which derive all or most of their support from NEH programme funds. The funding and staffing cuts will thus directly harm communities in every state and will contribute to the ‘destruction of shared cultural heritage.’
In reaction to these brusque grant cuts and administrative reductions, a lawsuit was filed on Friday 4 April suing the Presidential Administration for actions described as ‘illegal several times over.’
These attempts to eliminate vital institutions have occurred alongside the Presidential order, released on the 27 March, that attacked the Smithsonian Institution for its exhibitions with ‘improper, divisive, or anti-American ideology’ that degrade ‘shared American values.’ The attack sought for the Smithsonian to change the programming at the 21 museums, National Zoo, and the research institutes it oversees in order to restore ‘truth and sanity in American History’ and ensure that it ‘serves as a symbol to the world of American greatness and makes America proud.’
There has been significant backlash against this attack on academic freedom, with a statement organised by the American Historical Association and signed by 25 other organisations stressing the importance of the ‘stories that have shaped our past’ both those elements ‘that make us proud but also aspects that make us acutely aware of tragedies in our nation’s history.’ Further, the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation President stated that ‘in free societies, we engage in discourse … but we do not allow decrees to determine what is thought and shown.’
These measures taken by the Trump administration might be viewed as a de-investment in an informed, connected, and resilient society, and must be understood within their wider economic and cultural landscape to fully understand the ramifications of such decisions.
Donald J. Trump, by Michael O’ Brien. Inkjet print, 1989 (printed 2011), gift of Bill and Sally Wittliff. © Michael O'Brien. Image Courtesy of the Smithsonian Institution National Portrait Gallery.
Bibliography
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