Trump Administration Fires Obama-Era Librarian Of Congress Carla Hayden, First Black Woman In Role, Amid Sweeping Federal Workforce Cuts

President Donald Trump‘s administration has fired Carla Hayden, the first woman and first African American to serve as Librarian of Congress.

What Happened: Hayden was dismissed, according to a spokesperson for the organization, reported The New York Times on Thursday.

Hayden, who was appointed by former President Barack Obama in 2016 to a 10-year term requiring Senate confirmation, headed an office with overall management responsibility for the Library of Congress and its policy programs.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries condemned the move as “unjust,” stating, according to Reuters, “There will be accountability for this unprecedented assault on the American way of life sooner rather than later.”

The dismissal comes amid thousands of federal workers being terminated under the Trump administration’s government reduction initiative. According to The Guardian, many employees were allegedly let go for “poor performance” despite having received positive reviews, with some losing critical benefits like health insurance.

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Why It Matters: The termination occurs as Trump’s Justice Department defends against numerous lawsuits challenging executive actions aimed at cutting spending and restructuring government agencies.

A federal judge recently ruled against several government employee unions seeking to halt the administration’s workforce reduction plans, directing them to bring their challenge to the Federal Labor Relations Authority instead of federal district court.

Legal experts warn of substantial financial consequences to these mass terminations. Labor attorney Suzanne Summerlin cautioned that the government may ultimately owe fired employees “back pay, plus interest, plus benefits, plus attorneys’ fees,” potentially resulting in “monumental” costs.

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Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.

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