President Donald Trump dismissed Congressional librarian Carla Hayden on Thursday, informing her through a brief two-sentence email.
Hayden, who was appointed by President Barack Obama in 2016, had a 10-year term that was set to renew next year. Notably, she was the first professional librarian appointed in many years, differing from the typical historians or scholars in the position, as highlighted by the Washington Post.
Additionally, she made history as the first woman and the first African American to hold the librarian role in Congress.
According to the report, the termination was conducted in a rather abrupt manner.
In an email from the Vice-President’s Office, it stated, “On behalf of President Donald J. Trump, I am writing to let you know that your position as a librarian in Congress has soon ended. I would like to thank you for your service.”
A spokesperson for the Library of Congress confirmed Hayden’s dismissal via email but declined to provide further comments. Neither Hayden nor the White House responded immediately to requests for clarification.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) described Hayden as a “skilled, principled, distinguished” library head and criticized Trump’s decision.
“Donald Trump’s unfair action to fire Dr. Hayden in an email from an anonymous political appointee is dishonorable and part of his ongoing campaign to ban books, distort American history, and turn back progress,” he stated.
Other Democrats echoed similar sentiments, as reported by the Associated Press.
Chuck Schumer, the Senate Democratic leader from New York, called Hayden “a trailblazer, academic and civil servant of the highest order,” stating that enough is enough.
Rep. Rosa DeLauro, a prominent Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, claimed Trump “mercilessly fired” Hayden and demanded a justification from the administration regarding her abrupt exit.
Before her role in Congress, Hayden was the leader of the Baltimore library system, served as president of the American Library Association (ALA) from 2003 to 2004, and made significant contributions to library services.
The Library of Congress, founded in 1800, acts as the research arm for Congress and is recognized as the largest library globally.
