Ivanka Trump tweeted a recognition of the work libraries and librarians do around the country, but some librarians didn’t appreciate her support.
That’s because her father, President Donald Trump, released a budget proposal earlier this year that, if passed, would cut federal funds for the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), a federal agency that provides the main source of federal support for the country’s libraries museums.
Library organizations used Trump’s tweet to disparage her father’s budget blueprint, as well as highlight the importance of libraries in the United States.
“Defunding libraries as proposed in your dad’s budget hurts hardworking Americans,” the nonprofit EveryLibrary tweeted back at Trump, before adding, “Cuts to federal funding for libraries are absolutely unconscionable, cruel, and unnecessary. #saveIMLS #library.”
The American Library Association chimed in, tweeting a quote from the organization’s president, Julie Todaro.
“We agree – libraries do great work with federal funds for states @realdonaldtrump wants to wipe out,” she said.
Jason Griffey, a librarian, technologist, and Berkman Klein Fellow at Harvard University, replied to Trump’s tweet, writing, “Your father is about to completely defund the federal agency that helps to fund libraries. You might wanna look into that.”