Delaware Attorney General Kathy Jennings and 20 other state attorneys general win a court order preventing the Trump Administration from dismantling three federal agencies.
The agencies protected provide services and funding supporting public libraries and museums, workers and minority-owned businesses throughout the country.
Just last month, Jennings and the other attorneys general sued the Trump administration to stop the implementation of an executive order dismantling the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the Minority Business Development Agency and the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service.
“The thousands of museums and libraries across our country generate a value that is greater than any line item on a budget,” said Jennings. “They provide intellectual and spiritual nourishment; they stoke joy, curiosity, and creativity. Regrettably, this administration has continuously decided to try and stamp those things out, all the while attempting to undermine essential support systems for workers and minority entrepreneurs.
The U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island Wednesday issued an order granting the request for a preliminary injunction stopping the implementation of the executive order.
The states asserted in their lawsuit that dismantling the agencies would have had devastating effects on the communities throughout the country - including Delaware - that rely on the services they provide.
The court found the states established a strong likelihood of success on their claims the executive order violates the Administrative Procedure Act.
The states also claimed the executive order would disregard the Constitution by attempting to dismantle agencies that Congress established and funded by law.
“With this order, a decisive message has been sent to Washington: we will not sit idly by while you try to dismantle the fabric of America’s most beloved institutions, and we will not let you wreak havoc on workers or small businesses. We will fight you, and we will win,” said Jennings.
