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BALTIMORE MD – 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 today 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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