Md. Sen. Angela Alsobrooks urges Trump to reinstate Carla Hayden to Library of Congress

Ben Mause, Baltimore Sun on May 13, 2025

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U.S. Sen. Angela Alsobrooks, a Maryland Democrat, is urging President Donald Trump to reinstate former Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden — five days after Trump abruptly fired the longtime Baltimore resident.

In a letter addressed to the president, obtained by The Baltimore Sun, Alsobrooks requests that Hayden be returned to her position immediately.

“I write to share my deep concern with the firing of the leader of the United States Library of Congress (Library), Dr. Carla Hayden, and urge the immediate reinstatement of Dr. Hayden to her Senate-confirmed position as Librarian of Congress,” the letter states.

The letter lays out Hayden’s qualifications. She was both the first woman and the first African American to become Librarian of Congress, plus the first professional librarian appointed since 1974. It also mentions her time at the Chicago Public Library, as an associate Professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Information Sciences, and as the CEO of the Enoch Pratt Free Library in Baltimore.

“Dr. Hayden had a strong record of service during her 10-year term, working to digitize the Library’s collection and strengthen the Library’s digital infrastructure,” the letter states. “She fulfilled her mission admirably, under both Democratic and Republican Presidents, including you during your first term.”

Hayden was fired on Thursday via a short email sent by the Presidential Personnel Office on behalf of Trump. She had led the Library of Congress since being appointed by former President Barack Obama in 2016. Her 10-year term was set to expire next September.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt addressed the firing on Friday, saying that Hayden “did not fit the needs of the American people.”

“There were quite concerning things that she had done at the Library of Congress in the pursuit of DEI and putting inappropriate books in the Library for children,” Leavitt said during a press conference. “And we don’t believe that she was serving the interest of the American taxpayer well.”

The letter claims that Leavitt’s comments followed “the pattern that the Administration has used to notify thousands of other dedicated civil servants of their termination.”

It also states the White House was “seemingly confused about the role of both the Library and Librarian of Congress. The Library of Congress does not, in fact, lend books to either adults or children in the general public,” while calling Hayden’s dismissal a “politically motivated attack.”

“The White House has offered zero legitimate reason for firing Dr. Carla Hayden beyond a pursuit of their political witch hunt and their clear desire to sanitize American history,” Alsobrooks told The Sun in a statement Tuesday. “The fact that this trailblazer’s incredible qualifications are called into question while charlatans like RFK and Pete Hegseth continue to serve is a cruel joke, for which Americans are paying the price every day.”

Hayden’s dismissal came two days after she presented her priorities for the next year to the House Administration Committee, which oversees the Library of Congress. During the hearing, Chairman Bryan Steil, a Wisconsin Republican, praised Hayden and her team for their work.

The Library was in a dismal state when Hayden arrived, according to a 2015 report from the Government Accountability Office, which listed a litany of issues to address. During last week’s hearing, Hayden said that there was only one recommendation left until the Library was in full compliance with the report.

Alsobrooks ends her letter by urging Trump to reinstate Hayden, while also issuing a public apology. Both wishes are unlikely to be fulfilled.

The fallout of Hayden’s dismissal has led to confusion over who is currently in charge of the Library.

Trump appointed Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche as acting librarian on Monday. But Robert Randolph Newlen, the previous acting librarian, disputed that Blanche’s appointment was valid.

Alsobrooks’ office said it has been in contact with Hayden in the wake of her dismissal.

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