On April 4, 2025, Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha, New York Attorney General Letitia James, and Hawaii Attorney General Anne Lopez co-led a group of 21 state attorneys general in a suit to block the Trump administration’s attempt to unlawfully dismantle three federal agencies in defiance of Congress and federal law, including the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS), and the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA). The IMLS provides financial, research, and policy support to museums and libraries across the country. The FMCS provides dispute resolution services for labor disputes, and the MBDA provides financial assistance to minority-owned businesses.

Dismantling these agencies would have a devastating impact on states that rely on them for the services they provide to the public. The IMLS supports libraries and library staff in every state through its Grants to States Program, with investments totaling $180 million across the country. The FMCS, which supports collective bargaining agreements for unionized workers across the country and helps avoid strikes, slashed its staff by more than 90%. The MBDA, which supports small businesses with technical assistance in addition to grants, saw a staffing cut of nearly 90%.

The district court determined that the Attorneys General were likely to succeed in their suit and on May 13, 2025, granted a preliminary injunction prohibiting members of the administration from taking any actions that would prevent the three named agencies from carrying out their statutory duties.

Today’s preliminary injunction is a critical win for the public interest. When the Trump Administration attempts to dismantle these agencies, it is making a targeted, concerted effort to prohibit everyday people from accessing their full potential. They know that these agencies represent opportunities for the American people to better themselves through free access to knowledge through their local public libraries, to protect their labor and employment rights, and to help their small businesses grow. This Administration also knows that through suppressing and stifling access to opportunity, they can maintain and expand their power. We won’t let them, and neither should you. Attorney General Peter Neronha