AG Bonta files lawsuit over executive order targeting libraries
OAKLAND, Calif. - California Attorney General Rob Bonta last week announced another lawsuit against the Trump Administration, this time challenging an executive order that targeted libraries, among other institutions.
"The Trump administration is once again violating the U.S. Constitution and the rule of law by attempting to unilaterally shut down agencies the president doesn't like, including agencies that give the public access to facts, knowledge and cultural heritage for free or at a low cost," Bonta said in a statement announcing the lawsuit. "Dismantling these agencies would have a devastating impact on the public and on states across the nation — they provide important services for Americans and collectively provide billions of dollars to states to support libraries and museums, innovation and entrepreneurship for disadvantaged businesses, and help resolve labor disputes."
What's at stake
What we know:
Bonta is one of 21 attorneys general that have formed a coalition challenging Trump over Executive Order No. 14238. That order, which President Trump signed on March 14, orders several Congressionally-established agencies, including the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the Minority Business development Agency and the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service to eliminate every component and function not required by statute, and to reduce their statutorily required functions and staff to the minimum required by law.
President Trump's order also directs the Office of Management and Budget to deny those agencies the authorization to spend funds already allocated by Congress for anything beyond the minimum legal requirements.
The agencies were ordered to report within one week whether they had achieved "full compliance."
The California State Library budget this year includes $15.7 million in funding from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, which will go toward staffing and operations. The state's libraries employ approximately 17,000 employees across 1,127 libraries.
IMLS funds have, over the last 40 years, paid for programs including support for tutors helping adults and children read, write and learn English; summer reading and activity programs, and services that help feed low-income children when school is out. Those funds also pay for continuing education for librarians and library employees, a 300,000-title eBook library available to all Californians and digital efforts to protect California's cultural heritage and local history.
The San Francisco Public Library reported circulation of 6.7 million eBooks and other digital media and 7.63 million physical books and other materials in 2024.
Expanded focus
Dig deeper:
The Minority Business Development Agency reportedly placed all but five of its more than 40 employees on leave, and instructed those remaining to wind down the agency's remaining work. That agency supports more than 70 locations throughout the nation that provide business consultation services, including some geared specifically toward manufacturing businesses and businesses in rural areas. There are three such facilities in California: in Los Angeles, Sacramento, and in San Jose.
The MBDA in 2023 served more than 2,000 entrepreneurs who created nearly 19,000 jobs.
The Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service is an 80-year-old agency which negotiates collective bargaining agreements and mediates labor disputes. The organization, in response to the executive order, reduced its staff from 200 employees to 15, who were ordered to stop mediating labor disputes for public center entities, handling grievances related to collective bargaining agreements or conducting public training or education efforts.
This lawsuit marks the 10th such filing against the Trump administration in less than three months. Bonta and other Attorneys General have filed lawsuits against executive orders that have, among other things, canceled $11 billion in public health funding, and required voters to provide proof of citizenship to cast a ballot.