The Library of Congress is the world’s largest library. It is the cornerstone of American scholarship and a trusted source for education and research worldwide. It maintains the legal infrastructure for copyright. Its work supports Congress, the public, and the global library and cultural heritage communities. In May 2025, President Trump dismissed Dr. Carla Hayden, the Librarian of Congress, on baseless grounds and made other personnel moves that have so far been stopped. 

FY2026 funding and sustained congressional oversight are critical to the institution’s continued independence and relevance. The House FY2026 Legislative Branch Appropriations Bill cuts $84.6 million year-to-year for the Library of Congress, which is $133.7 million below the FY2026 request. This reduction will impact staffing and the Library's Congressional Research Service (CRS), which provides nonpartisan support to Congress.

Trump is now attempting to fire the head of the U.S. Copyright Office (a division of the Library Of Congress) in retaliation for a report thatsuggested some copyrighted works used to train generative AI models would likely require licensing – that is, tech companies would have to pay to use that material.