This quote just says it all about how DOGE operates and what their real motives are:
> “There is no efficiency argument when IMLS represents just 0.0046% of the federal budget, while museums generate $50 billion in economic impact,” the American Alliance of Museums wrote in a statement.
Elon can’t “gut” local libraries—local libraries are run by municipal governments and receive almost all their funding from there.
Total U.S. public library and museum spending is almost $14 billion: https://wordsrated.com/library-funding-statistics. This agency distributes about $250 million in federal support, which also supports museums.
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The IMLS has a $313 million annual budget and about 70 employees. Its stated goal is to “advance, support, and empower America’s museums, libraries, and related organizations through grantmaking, research, and policy development.
Local libraries are mostly funded by local tax dollars, but the funding they do get from the federal government goes towards things like employee training and technology updates. This is especially critical in more remote areas.
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IMLS activities don't directly fund most libraries and museums but the training, surveys, but they have an impact on the quality of libraries and museums all over our country.
I'd encourage HN readers to read about the work of IMLS directly:
I'm somewhat involved in local government in Chicagoland and so know where to look to get this figure: federal grants make up 0.2% of the Oak Park Public Library budget. Rayiner is right about this.
I swear if they start cutting books and exhibits about things specifically musk dislikes and we don’t see comparisons to book burnings, I’m going to lose all faith in the people of this country.
> “There is no efficiency argument when IMLS represents just 0.0046% of the federal budget, while museums generate $50 billion in economic impact,” the American Alliance of Museums wrote in a statement.