Trump Fires Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden

In what observers are characterizing as a shocking act of political malfeasance, President Trump abruptly fired Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden on the evening of May 8.

The firing was made without cause and the news delivered just before 7 p.m. in a curt two-line email to Hayden from a deputy in the White House personnel office. Library officials confirmed Hayden’s firing, but as of press time Hayden has not yet commented.

Sworn in as the nation’s 14th Librarian of Congress in September 2016, the 72-year-old Hayden is the first woman and the first African American to hold the post. She had a little more than a year left in a 10-year term that is largely considered to be one of the most successful periods in the library’s history, in which the library has made significant strides in modernizing, including in overhauling its IT systems, with its public facing programs, and with the Copyright Office.  

Hayden’s firing has infuriated supporters.

In a statement, Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries called Hayden an “accomplished, principled and distinguished Librarian of Congress” whose “historic tenure” has taken the institution to new heights.

“Donald Trump’s unjust decision to fire Dr. Hayden in an email sent by a random political hack is a disgrace and the latest in his ongoing effort to ban books, whitewash American history, and turn back the clock,” Jeffries said. “The Library of Congress is the People’s Library. There will be accountability for this unprecedented assault on the American way of life sooner rather than later.”

Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer called Hayden “a trailblazer, a scholar, and a public servant of the highest order” and said Congress should move to reclaim power over the position from the White House. “Enough is enough,” Schumer said. “We must assert our congressional prerogative by making the position of Librarian of Congress appointed by a Congressional commission—not by presidents that treat federal appointments like reality TV prizes.”

House Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro also blasted Hayden’s firing.

“Every Member of Congress I know—Democratic or Republican—loves and respects Dr. Carla Hayden,” DeLauro said. “Her dismissal is not just an affront to her historic service but a direct attack on the independence of one of our most revered institutions. This is yet another example in the disturbing pattern of the President removing dedicated public servants without cause—likely to fill the position with one of his ‘friends’ who is not qualified and does not care about protecting America’s legacy.” DeLauro also demanded “a transparent explanation” for Trump’s decision and urged her colleagues on both sides of the aisle to “stand united in defending the integrity of the Library of Congress.”

Throughout her tenure at the library, Hayden has proven to be a deft manager and a master at staying above the political fray, including throughout Trump’s chaotic first term. But her firing comes at a fraught moment, and amid two lawsuits seeking to reverse the president’s destruction of the Institute for Museum and Library Services, including a suit by the American Library Association—for which Hayden served as a former president.

The firing also comes after Hayden was targeted by a right-wing political group called the American Accountability Foundation, led by veteran Republican opposition researcher Tom Jones. In a tweet on Thursday, the group urged Trump to fire Hayden. “The current #LibrarianOfCongress Carla Hayden is woke, anti-Trump, and promotes trans-ing kids," the post claimed. "It’s time to get her OUT and hire a new guy for the job!”

 Notably, Hayden appeared before Congress at a House Administration Committee meeting on May 6, which was, as usual, cordial and without drama—though Republican committee Bryan Stiel did ask about construction delays with the library’s Visitor Experience Master Plan, noting that the project was not on track to be completed by the celebration of the nation’s 250th anniversary in 2026.

 A Historic Appointment

Hayden’s appointment by Barack Obama in February 2016 was greeted enthusiastically by the library community, who had urged the president to appoint a professional librarian to the post—in fact, until Hayden’s appointment there had not been a professional librarian leading the Library of Congress on a full-time basis since Lawrence Quincy Mumford retired in 1954.

The first woman and first African American Librarian of Congress, Hayden was serving as CEO of the Enoch Pratt Free Library in Baltimore when she was tapped, where she had built an impeccable record of leadership and innovation. Hayden also served as president of the ALA from 2003 to 2004, during which time she famously took on Attorney General John Ashcroft over the Patriot Act. And in 2015 she made national headlines amid dramatic images of unrest in Baltimore following the death of Freddie Gray in police custody. The Enoch Pratt Free Library’s Pennsylvania Avenue branch was at the epicenter of the protests, and the library stayed open through days of discord, serving the community and offering residents a safe haven.

Hayden’s ascent was not without drama, however. She stepped into the job at a moment of intense scrutiny following the retirement of James Billington, who had been publicly criticized for his management and for allowing the library to fall behind in the digital age. As a result, Hayden became the first Librarian of Congress to be term-limited at 10 years.

Furthermore, copyright hawks were wary of Hayden’s plans, concerns that quickly ramped up when Hayden reassigned then Register of Copyrights Maria Pallante, who had strongly urged lawmakers to make the Copyright Office independent. Pallante, a strong ally of the content industries—some of whom suggested Pallante’s ouster was part of a Google-led conspiracy—refused to be reassigned, however, and stepped down. Soon after, she took the helm of the Association of American Publishers.

Pallante’s dismissal was then followed by a bill dubbed the Register of Copyrights Selection and Accountability Act introduced by House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) and Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.) both of whom worked closely with Pallante on a copyright reform initiative. That bill would have given the President—rather than the Library of Congress—the power to appoint the Register of Copyrights. While the bill passed in the House it was blocked in the Senate.

Hayden’s path to senate confirmation was also not without drama. While the final vote (74-18) reflected broad support, a group of Senate Republicans had placed an anonymous hold on Hayden’s nomination, threatening to deny her a final up-or-down confirmation vote, and possibly derail her nomination altogether. The hold was a stunning turn of events for Hayden, who had sailed through her Senate hearing, and had won unanimous approval from the Senate Rules Committee.

Ultimately, Hayden’s appointment was facilitated by an unlikely ally—then Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell, who opted to ignore the anonymous hold (which is the leader's option) and called for a vote.

At her swearing in, Hayden remarked on her momentous appointment.

“As a descendant of people who were denied the right to read, to now have the opportunity to serve and lead the institution that is our national symbol of knowledge, is a historic moment,” Hayden said. She went on to call the Library “one of the greatest gifts and legacies the Congress has given to the American people.”

Politically Motivated

At press time, reaction from the library community was still coming in, but initial reaction is outrage, and concern.

"Dr. Hayden’s abrupt and unjust dismissal is an insult to the scope and breadth of work she has undertaken in her role leading the Library of Congress," ALA president Cindy Hohl said in statement. "By throwing open the doors of the venerable Library of Congress to welcome everyone, Dr. Hayden has revealed what the highest library in the land, and what every library, is: a bastion of knowledge and a beacon of opportunity."

Library political action committee EveryLibrary also responded.

“Dr. Hayden's dismissal is certainly not a personnel matter. The termination message gave no cause, but it does come on the heels of two successful ongoing lawsuits against the Trump administration to reopen the Institute of Museum and Library Services,” notes a statement from library political action committee EveryLibrary. “Like the National Archives, the Library of Congress is meant to serve the nation, not the political or social agenda of any president. To see its independence threatened by executive overreach like this should send a chill down the spine of every member of Congress. Dr. Hayden has served our country honorably. The Librarian of Congress should not be subject to arbitrary removal. Congress must now respond with courage.” 

Notably, as of this writing, the administration has not yet announced plans for who will lead the library going forward. But in an afternoon briefing, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Hayden was fired for her "pursuit of DEI and putting inappropriate books in the library for children.”