On Friday, Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha and 20 other attorneys general filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration “to stop the dismantling of three federal agencies” that support public libraries, museums, workers and small businesses, according to a press release from Neronha’s office.
Trump issued an executive order on March 14 to reduce the function and personnel of seven federal government entities that “the President has determined are unnecessary.” These organizations include the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the Minority Business Development Agency and the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service — the three entities addressed in the suit.
Within seven days of issuing the order, entity heads were required to submit a report to the Office of Management and Budget “confirming full compliance.” But for at least the IMLS, MBDA and FMCS, “‘full compliance’ has meant gutting every one of their operations — statutorily mandated or not,” the plaintiffs argued in the suit.
According to the attorneys general, the three agencies have significantly reduced their staff and terminated grant solicitation and administration since Trump issued the order. The FMCS has also terminated “several of its core programs, including its mediation program for public sector entities,” according to the suit.
“All three agencies empower everyday people in this country to access their full potential, whether it be through knowledge, workers’ rights or small business support,” Neronha said in the press release. “By unlawfully attacking these agencies, they are attempting to stifle the American Dream.”
In the lawsuit, the attorneys general said Trump’s executive order violates the Administrative Procedure Act as it compelled “seven agencies to abandon all of their discretionary programs without engaging in a shred of reasoned analysis.”
The plaintiffs further argued that the order violates the Constitution’s separation of powers.
“Trump is leading a campaign to dismantle vast swaths of the federal government,” the plaintiffs said in the suit. But “he cannot override the congressional enactments that authorize federal agencies, appropriate funds for them to administer and define how they must operate.”
In 2024, the IMLS allocated nearly $1.5 million to Rhode Island’s Office of Library and Information Services, according to Neronha’s press release. IMLS grants support a variety of services in Rhode Island, including 42 of the state’s public libraries, statewide literacy programs and “services for veterans and differently abled individuals,” the suit reads.
“Rhode Island does not have the budgetary resources or flexibility to make up for the lost funding, and these services will suffer without it,” the plaintiffs claimed in the suit.
Last week, Neronha also joined coalitions of attorneys general in filing two additional lawsuits against the Trump administration. On April 3, 19 attorneys general sued to block Trump’s executive order imposing restrictions on voting in state and federal elections. On April 4, 16 attorneys general filed a lawsuit to block alleged disruptions in grant funding issued by the National Institutes of Health.
The White House, IMLS, MBDA, FMCS and R.I. OLIS did not respond to The Herald’s request for comment. Neronha’s office also did not respond to The Herald’s request for additional comment.
Avani Ghosh is a Metro editor covering city and state politics. She is a junior from Ohio studying Health and Human Biology and International and Public Affairs. She is an avid earl grey enthusiast and can be found making tea in her free time.
