1. United States
2. Md.
3. Letter

Federal funding for libraries through the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) is crucial for ensuring access to educational and enrichment opportunities for all Americans. Libraries are trusted community hubs that provide invaluable resources and services from early childhood programs to job training, technology access, and lifelong learning opportunities. Yet this modest but vital funding stream is under threat of being cut off entirely. I urge you to protect IMLS funding by adding it back to the budget for 2026. Libraries, especially in rural and underserved areas, depend on this support to maintain operations, build collections, offer programming, and provide Internet connectivity. Eliminating IMLS would have devastating impacts on communities that rely on their libraries as anchors of education, opportunity, and economic development. Libraries are engines of democracy, promoting literacy, intellectual freedom, and access to information for all. They uplift society by creating pathways to knowledge. Please take action to preserve federal library funding through IMLS in the 2026 budget, an essential investment in our nation's future.