> completely eliminate the Institute of Museum and Library Services. The IMLS was established in 1996 with an annual budget of merely $200 million. As a compa

> completely eliminate the Institute of Museum and Library Services. The IMLS was established in 1996 with an annual budget of merely $200 million. As a comparison, the funding for libraries in tiny Arlington County, Virginia with a population of only ~200,000 is 13 million dollars[1]. This department may be doing meaningful work, but it is hardly work that could not be undertaken by local governments coordinating for the betterment of their own residents. As a broader argument, libraries are primarily supported at the local level with state oversight. There's no real need for an entire Federal department to further oversea and attempt to control the practices of local bodies. I am a great fan of government, and government funding of the arts and education but I believe it should be done at the local level where citizens can meaningfully affect the government which is doing the work. Federal funds, if given, should be given gratis to states without any mandates or provisions the most general sense. [1] https://arlingtonva.s3.dualstack.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2015/06/FY16A_Budget-Summaries.pdf https://arlingtonva.s3.dualstack.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/wp-...