President Trump’s recommendations for the 2026 budget were officially published on May 2. These list in particular the “small agencies” whose abolition is envisaged, including the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS).
Already targeted by Donald Trump, these agencies were the subject, last March, of presidential decrees aimed at their abolition. This decision has led to numerous layoffs, a direct consequence of credit reductions. More recently senior executives and other NEA employees, unable to continue their missions, have left the agency. “Following the publication of the budget, the beneficiaries who were not among the priorities of the administration began to receive advice of sudden termination of their subsidy – more than 50 % of the subsidies granted by the NEA are being terminated”said local 3403 section of theAmerican Federation of Government Employeeswhich represents the employees of the NEA.
However, the American president is not free to decide alone and must obtain the agreement of the congress for certain dismantling. During his first mandate, Trump had already attempted to abolish the NEA, but the Congress, majority Bipartisan, had not only rejected this abolition, but also voted by budgetary increases. In 2024, the NEA budget amounted to $ 207 million (186 million euros).
At the same time, an American federal judge issued, on May 1, 2025, a temporary restriction order blocking the Trump administration attempt to abolish the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS).
The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), created in 1965, is an independent agency of the American federal government. Its mission is to support and finance artistic projects across the country, by promoting access to culture and artistic education for all Americans. The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), founded in 1996, is the main source of public funding for museums and libraries in the United States.
