Trump fires Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden amid more worker purges

Driving the news: AP first reported the firing late Thursday and said it came in an email from the White House's Presidential Personnel Office, which a White House source familiar with the situation confirmed to Axios. No reason was given for her dismissal, per AP.

• Democrats including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) denounced Hayden's firing.
• "Dr. Hayden is a trailblazer, a scholar, and a public servant of the highest order. She brought integrity, vision, and truth to the Library of Congress," Schumer said in a statement.
• Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) said on X that Hayden's dismissal takes Trump's "assault on America's libraries to a new level."

State of play: The Trump administration has dismissed federal workers and purged government websites about communities of color following several of the president's executive orders.

• The orders follow the administration's reinterpretations of Civil Rights-era laws to focus on "anti-white racism" rather than discrimination against people of color.
• In March, a group of federal employees who were fired for participating in diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) activities filed a complaint to regain their jobs and their back pay.

Zoom in: Hayden, whose 10-year term was set to expire next year, was the first woman and Black American to be the Librarian of Congress.

• She was only the 14th Librarian of Congress in history since the Library of Congress was established in 1800.

• Hayden had led Baltimore's library system before coming to the Library of Congress.

The intrigue: Under her leadership, the Library of Congress promoted works and collections from people of color.

• The library announced it had acquired the photographs and manuscripts of pioneering Chicano journalist Raúl Ruiz.

Yes, but: Conservative MAGA influencers and groups have repeatedly attacked Hayden for the Library of Congress's posts and collections.

Context: The Library of Congress makes available historical documents, such as the papers of presidents and Supreme Court justices.

• It also collects music for its National Recording Registry.
• Last month, it inducted Vicente Fernández's "El Rey," Freddy Fender's "Before the Next Teardrop Falls" and the "Hamilton" soundtrack, by Lin-Manuel Miranda, into the National Recording Registry.

Go deeper: Hidden treasures at the Library of Congress, revealed

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