Regarding an Executive Order titled “Continuing the Reduction of the Federal Bureaucracy” and its effects on IMLS and Libraries

3/17/2025:: "Dear Vermont Library Community,

On March 14, 2025, the President issued an executive order titled Continuing the Reduction of the Federal Bureaucracy. https://www.whitehouse.gov/.../continuing-the-reduction.../

This executive order calls for significant cuts to the “the non-statutory components and functions” of the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). The executive order states that IMLS is among the federal entities that “shall 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.”

At this time, the Department is waiting to learn from IMLS about how IMLS will implement this executive order, and whether there will be any specific impact to their Grants to States program and/or to the Department’s federal funding.

The Institute for Museum and Library Services is the Department of Libraries’ primary federal funder. Funds from the IMLS Grants to States Program comprise approximately 30% of the Department of Libraries’ annual budget and support the Department of Libraries Library Services and Technology Act Grants to States Five-Year Plan (2023-2027). https://libraries.vermont.gov/.../VERMONT_LSTA_PLAN_2023...

The Department will update the library community when more information is known about the impacts of this order."

3/18/2025: Dear Vermont Library Community,

I’m writing to provide an update related to the federal executive order titled Continuing the Reduction of the Federal Bureaucracy that was issued by the president on March 14, 2025. https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/03/continuing-the-reduction-of-the-federal-bureaucracy/

This morning the Department received the following message from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) staff:

 “Congress has passed a full-year Continuing Resolution through September 30, 2025, and we are awaiting review of our funding levels by program from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).   

 After we receive our final review from OMB, our plan is to issue awards to all states. As we finalize the full-year allotment schedule in our system we will reach out to you with a final allotment table for the year. Notwithstanding outside guidance, we expect the FY 2025 allotments to be similar to last year’s allotments. Based on our grant processes, we expect to issue these awards by April 22, unless you hear otherwise from us. If the outside review takes longer than expected, we will communicate with you about issuing partial awards of approximately 50% in April.”

 The Department continues to wait for a final decision from IMLS about the specific allotment Vermont will receive in Grants to States funding, how they will implement the executive order, and whether there will be any impact on the Department or to other libraries or museums in Vermont.

Funds from the IMLS Grants to States Program comprise approximately 30% of the Department of Libraries’ annual budget and support the Department of Libraries’ Library Services and Technology Act Grants to States Five-Year Plan (2023-2027). https://libraries.vermont.gov/sites/libraries/files/LSTA/VERMONT_LSTA_PLAN_2023_2027.pdf 

 The Department will update the library community again when more information is known about the impacts of this order.

 Thank you, Catherine

Catherine Delneo | State Librarian & Commissioner of Libraries
Vermont Department of Libraries
60 Washington Street, Suite #2 | Barre, Vermont 05641
802-636-0040 http://libraries.vermont.gov