On March 28, 2025, AIBS joined the Natural Science Collections Alliance and 72 other professional societies and organizations in sending a letter to Congress expressing deep concern regarding the March 14 Executive Order targeting the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) for elimination. The groups urged lawmakers to work with the Administration to ensure that Congress’ long-standing and bipartisan commitment to authorizing and appropriating funds to IMLS is not undermined by potential executive actions.
“We urge Congress to take decisive action to protect IMLS from harmful funding and staffing cuts,” the letter reads. “Public funding is crucial in order for museums, small and large, to fulfill their educational, cultural, and community roles, especially for smaller institutions that may struggle with private funding alone. We ask Congress to uphold its commitment to museums, demonstrated through the bipartisan reauthorization of IMLS in 2018. Preserving this vital agency is essential to maintaining the public benefits that museums provide to millions of Americans.”
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