Attorney General Dan Rayfield, along with a coalition of 19 other attorneys general, is taking legal action against the Trump administration in an effort to safeguard crucial institutions that serve the public: libraries and museums, the workforce, and minority-owned businesses across the United States. The move comes in response to a March Executive Order from the Trump administration, which sets in motion the process to shut down three federal agencies responsible for distributing hundreds of millions of dollars in program funding nationwide.
The legal challenge filed aims to counter what the coalition deems as an attack on the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA), and the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS). Under the directive of the Executive Order, IMLS has already begun the process by placing nearly all its staff on administrative leave and slashing hundreds of grants critical for state-level libraries and museums. Rayfield sharply criticized the Executive Order, stating, "This is a deliberate attempt to erase the spaces where people learn, connect and thrive."
According to Attorney General Rayfield, the repercussions of defunding these agencies could be severe, especially for underserved populations. Oregon, for instance, stands to lose significant federal support for local libraries—vital for rural counties—and educational programs like the Oregon Battle of the Books, an annual reading competition engaging students across the state. The coalition claims that the Trump administration's action not only violates the Constitution but also the Administrative Procedure Act by disregarding legal boundaries that govern the allocation of federal money.
The lawsuit asserts that the Executive Order unlawfully supersedes the authority granted to Congress over budgetary matters. As such, the president's order to unilaterally terminate the operation of the agencies and, consequently, their funding programs, is considered overreach. Besides Oregon, the attorneys general of states including Arizona, California, and New York have joined Rayfield in the fight to protect the entities threatened by the administration's Executive Order.
