{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://mcbride.house.gov/media/press-releases/delawares-congresswoman-mcbride-denounces-trump-administrations-illegal-cuts", "Delaware\u2019s Congresswoman McBride Denounces Trump Administration\u2019s Illegal Cuts to Library Funding on House Floor", "2025-05-01", "2025", "2025-05", "Democrat", "House", "DE", "Sarah McBride", "M001238", "mcbride.house.gov", "mcbride", "https://mcbride.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 Today, Congresswoman Sarah McBride (D-DE) took to the House floor to condemn the Trump Administration\u2019s illegal dismantling of the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) \u2014 an action that has halted vital federal support for libraries across the country, including Delaware\u2019s 33 public libraries.\n\nHer remarks come after she visited Lewes Public Library, where she met with staff and constituents to hear firsthand how these cuts are already disrupting services.\n\n\u201cMr. Speaker, I rise today to condemn this administration\u2019s harmful and illegal effort to gut the Institute of Museum and Library Services,\u201d said Rep. McBride in her floor speech.\n\n\u201cLet\u2019s be clear: this is a direct attack on rural families, veterans, caregivers, and children\u2014including thousands of Delawareans who rely on local libraries not just for books, but for help with job applications, disability forms, and housing assistance.\"\n\nAn executive order issued by President Trump directed the so-called \u201creduction of the federal bureaucracy,\u201d leading IMLS to place its entire staff on administrative leave\u2014effectively shutting down operations and freezing the distribution of nearly $300 million in congressionally appropriated funds. Delaware libraries rely on over $1.3 million annually from IMLS to provide community programs, public internet access, educational tools, and critical benefits navigation services.\n\n\u201cIn Dover, librarians are helping my neighbors navigate Social Security delays. In Lewes, they\u2019re supporting unhoused jobseekers. In Harrington, they\u2019re guiding caregivers through pages of red tape just to access basic support. This isn\u2019t just morally wrong\u2014it\u2019s a violation of the law. The administration is not only defunding vital community programs\u2014it\u2019s defying the will of the American people.\n\n\u201cThis isn\u2019t just morally wrong\u2014it\u2019s a violation of the law. Congress appropriated these funds. The administration is not only defunding vital community programs\u2014it\u2019s defying the will of the American people.\"\n\nIn a letter led by Senator Chris Coons to Acting Director Keith Sonderling, Rep. McBride joined Senator Lisa Blunt Rochester (all D-Del.) in reminding the Trump Administration that IMLS was created by statute, created and funded by Congress for the express purpose of meeting the \u201cessential information, education, research, economic, cultural, and civic needs\u201d of Americans. The law requires IMLS to operate both a Museum Services Office and a Library Services Office, which provide support across all 50 states.\n\n\u201cWith just 1.93 million dollars a year, Delaware libraries are able to preserve our history, strengthen our workforce, and meet people where they are to deliver critical services.\n\n\u201cCutting this lifeline isn\u2019t efficiency. It\u2019s cruelty.\n\n\u201cI urge the administration to reverse course\u2014and I stand with my colleagues in demanding full funding for the services our communities need and deserve.\u201d\n\nThe full video is available to view and download here.\n\n###\n\nDelaware\u2019s Congresswoman Sarah McBride serves on the House Foreign Affairs Committee and its Subcommittees on Europe and on Oversight & Intelligence, she also serves on the House Space, Science and Technology Committee and its subcommittee on Research and Technology. She serves as a Deputy Whip for Policy in the Democratic Caucus.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T18:20:29Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://mcbride.house.gov/media/press-releases/delawares-congresswoman-mcbride-denounces-trump-administrations-illegal-cuts"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.7273579724133015, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}