And so when Keith Sonderling, who was appointed deputy secretary of the Department of Labor on Tuesday, showed up to be sworn in as acting director of IMLS on Thursday morning, said the employee, “The whole agency, we were all in the office dressed for business and ready to go, there to work.” Sonderling came with security staff and, said the IMLS staffer, some DOGE employees—“the classic young 20-something guys with laptops,” they said.
IMLS staffers did what they could to demonstrate defiance by showing up in person on Thursday, many of them dressed in funereal black.
“They were concerned there would be a scene,” said the staffer. “They didn’t expect to find the entire staff in the office working. They pivoted quickly. They swore the guy in and instead of laying everybody off immediately they left the building, because they didn’t want to create a scene with us there. Otherwise, they would have locked the doors and taken over our systems and sent a mass notification out to everyone.”
A representative of the IMLS employees’ union, the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) 3403, confirmed in a text message that Sonderling was sworn in, accompanied by security and DOGE staffers.
“Sonderling, an employment lawyer by trade, appears committed to following federal law,” said the AFGE rep. “After departing the office, Sonderling sent an email to staff emphasizing the importance of libraries and museums in cultivating the next generation’s perception of American exceptionalism and patriotism. The union looks forward to working with him in good faith to continue IMLS’s mission with efficiency and innovation.
“The union still expects that most employees will be placed on administrative leave over the weekend or Monday,” added the rep. “It remains unclear whether funding for existing grantees will continue, and whether new grants will be available in the future.”
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