Gov. Evers: Statement on Suing the Trump Administration to Stop Cuts to Wisconsin Museums and Libraries

MADISON — Gov. Tony Evers today announced Wisconsin is joining a lawsuit suing the Trump Administration for cutting funding for libraries and museums in Wisconsin, including the University of Wisconsin (UW)-Stevens Point Olson Museum of Natural History. The cuts are also expected to affect the Wisconsin Veterans Museum and over a dozen librarian positions across the state.

The lawsuit Gov. Evers announced today is the latest move to stop President Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s efforts to undermine constitutional checks and balances by obstructing and cutting programs and funding already approved by the U.S. Congress. Last month, President Trump issued an executive order targeting seven federal agencies, including the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), which has since cut 85 percent of its staff. The IMLS administers competitive grants to support museums by hiring project-related employees, developing educational programs, and developing new and improving existing exhibits.

The UW-Stevens Point’s Olson Museum of Natural History was recently awarded a grant from the IMLS’s Inspire! Grants for Small Museums program, which it intends to use to fund staffing, design, and purchase of improvements to make its collection accessible to visitors with physical limitations and visual impairments. If the museum does not receive disbursements and reimbursements under this grant, 50 percent of the museum’s collection will remain inaccessible to visitors with physical limitations and visual impairments.

“President Trump and Elon Musk’s reckless, illegal cuts are hurting folks across our country, including families, libraries, communities, and campuses right here in Wisconsin, gutting programs and services that folks depend on and care about,” said Gov. Evers. “For decades, the Olson Museum of Natural History and others like it across the country have served as critical hubs of education, research, and innovation. But without a second thought, the Trump Administration wants to pull the rug out from under them by obstructing investments that were approved by Congress.

“Wisconsinites want constitutional checks and balances in our systems to maintain the balance of power and ensure no one has runaway power to make decisions like this unchecked. These actions are wrongheaded, they’re bad for Wisconsin, and we’re suing to stop them.”

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.