Trump Fires Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden
President Donald Trump fired Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden on Thursday, according to a spokesperson from the Library of Congress.
It is not clear why Hayden was being removed from the position.
Hayden served as the 14th Librarian of Congress after being appointed to a 10-year term by President Barack Obama in February 2016 and confirmed by the Senate in July 2016.
She was was the first woman and the first African American to hold the position.
During her tenure, Hayden prioritized efforts to make the Library and its collections more accessible to the public, including by investing in information technology infrastructure and digitization efforts, according to her official
With the support of a $15 million grant from the Mellon Foundation, she also launched the 'Of the People' initiative in 2021 to help make the Library more accessible to communities of color who are 'underrepresented in the Library's collections.'
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She faced backlash, however, from the conservative advocacy group, American Accountability Foundation, which
The group thanked Trump in a
The Epoch Times has asked the White House and the Library of Congress for comment.
Several Democratic lawmakers have criticized the move, accusing the president of trying to ban books.
Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on the Legislative Branch,
In a statement, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.)
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) in
'Enough is enough. Just as we've moved to bring accountability to the Architect of the Capitol, we must assert our congressional prerogative by making the position of Librarian of Congress appointed by a Congressional commission,' the lawmaker said.
The Library of Congress is the world's largest library, housing more than 178 million books, films and video, audio recordings, photographs, newspapers, maps, and manuscripts, according to its official
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