Trump fires Librarian of Congress and Baltimorean Carla Hayden

Mathew Schumer, Baltimore Sun on May 8, 2025

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President Donald Trump fired Baltimore native and Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden on Thursday, according to statements from House Democrats.

The longtime Baltimorean, who served as the CEO of the Enoch Pratt Free Library from 1993 until President Barack Obama nominated her to head the Library of Congress in 2016, was the first woman, and first African-American, to assume the position.

U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, a Connecticut Democrat, released a statement Thursday in which she said that Hayden was “abruptly and callously fired by President Trump,” and demanded an explanation for the decision.

“Dr. Hayden’s tenure has been marked by a steadfast commitment to accessibility, modernization, and the democratization of knowledge,” wrote DeLauro. “Her dismissal is not just an affront to her historic service but a direct attack on the independence of one of our most revered institutions."

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