Attorney General Anthony G. Brown won a court order that stops the Trump administration from dismantling three federal agencies that provide services and funding to public libraries and museums, small businesses, and workers nationwide. In April, Attorney General Brown joined a coalition of 20 other attorneys general in suing to stop the administration from implementing an Executive Order that would dismantle the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA), and the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS). Yesterday, the United States District Court for the District of Rhode Island issued an order that grants the states’ request for a preliminary injunction to protect the three agencies. “This ruling safeguards essential lifelines for aspiring entrepreneurs, workers demanding fair treatment, and Maryland families who rely on their local libraries for internet access and childhood literacy support,” said Attorney General Brown. “By defending these vital federal programs, we've ensured they continue delivering critical services to the Marylanders who depend on them every day.” This Executive Order represents yet another example of the Trump administration attempting to dismantle federal agencies in defiance of Congress.
The preliminary injunction granted halts the dismantling of three agencies targeted in the administration’s Executive Order:
•IMLS, which supports museums, libraries, and universities nationwide through grantmaking, research, and policy development;
• MBDA, which promotes the growth and inclusion of small businesses through federal financial and technical assistance programs; and
• FMCS, which promotes the peaceful resolution of labor disputes.
As Attorney General Brown and the coalition asserted in the lawsuit, dismantling these agencies will have devastating effects on communities throughout Maryland 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 Maryland, the IMLS provides millions of dollars each year to support public libraries, universities, and museums such as the Banneker-Douglass-Tubman Museum in Annapolis; the MBDA sponsors Baltimore City’s Advanced Manufacturing Center, which helps grow small businesses; and the FMCS assists in resolving disputes between management and workers throughout the state.
The preliminary injunction granted today will halt the Trump administration’s Executive Order as it applies to IMLS, MBDA, and FMCS. The court found that the states had established a strong likelihood of success on their claims that the Executive Order violates the Administrative Procedure Act and disregards the Constitution by attempting to dismantle agencies that Congress established and funded by law. In addition to Attorney General Brown, the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawai‛i, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin also joined the lawsuit.
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