President Donald Trump dismissed Dr. Carla Hayden, the Librarian of Congress, late Thursday in a terse, two-sentence email, sparking immediate condemnation from Democratic lawmakers who decried the move as an unjustified attack on a historic and nonpartisan institution.
Hayden, the first woman and first African American to hold the position, was informed of her termination at 6:56 p.m. EDT by Trent Morse, the deputy director of presidential personnel, who did not explain the abrupt decision.
The firing drew swift rebukes from prominent Democrats, including Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), who called it part of Trump’s broader “assault on America’s libraries,” and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), who condemned the president’s “disgraceful” decision.
Representative Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) characterized Hayden’s dismissal as “a direct attack on the independence of one of our most revered institutions.”
Yet amid the outcry, two New Jersey congressional representatives—Josh Gottheimer and Mikie Sherrill—have remained conspicuously silent on Hayden’s termination, despite both lawmakers frequently positioning themselves as vocal opponents of Trump’s governance and his perceived erosion of democratic norms.
Neither of New Jersey’s Blue Dog Democrats responded to requests for comment regarding whether they viewed Hayden’s firing as legally or ethically justified.
Blue Dogs are conservative and unreliable partners in the Democratic caucus —often members of Congress on their way to joining the Republican Party— who focus on austerity, national security, and working with the GOP on issues that frequently conflict with Democratic values that prioritize the economic security and living standards of working-class Americans.
Sherrill and Gottheimer are two of three quasi–Republicans, along with former Senate President Steve Sweeney, who are seeking the Democratic nomination for governor.
Also running in the June 10 Democratic primary are Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop and Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, candidates who are widely viewed as genuine progressives.
Hayden, appointed by President Barack Obama in 2016, had been widely praised for modernizing the Library of Congress and expanding public access to its vast collections.
Her tenure was marked by initiatives that brought the library’s resources to rural communities, digitized critical archives, and emphasized inclusivity.
Conservatives, however, had recently targeted her, with the right-wing American Accountability Foundation labeling her “woke” in social media posts.
The Library of Congress, established in 1800, serves as the research arm of Congress and houses the world’s largest collection of books, recordings, photographs, and historical documents.
Hayden’s removal follows a pattern of Trump’s second-term efforts to reshape federal institutions, including the dismissal of officials perceived as resistant to his agenda.
Robert Newlen, the library’s principal deputy librarian, will serve as acting director until a permanent replacement is named.
The White House has not yet indicated whether Trump intends to nominate a successor, nor has it provided justification for Hayden’s termination.
Legal scholars have questioned the move’s validity, given that the Librarian of Congress traditionally serves a 10-year term to insulate the position from political interference.
Neither the administration nor Hayden herself has responded to requests for comment.
The silence from conservative Democratic lawmakers has raised questions about the sincerity of their opposition to Trump’s executive actions.
Gottheimer supported Trump more than any other House Democrat during the Republican tyrant’s first term in the White House. He voted with Republicans to pass a bill to permit the detention and deportation of immigrants accused of such low-level offenses as shoplifting.
Sherrill was one of only 11 House Democrats who voted to end the national emergency declaration issued in March 2020 about the COVID-19 pandemic, a tool that empowered federal agencies to combat the disease.
Sherrill and Gottheimer both decided not to vote to approve President Trump’s order renaming the “Gulf of Mexico” to the “Gulf of America.”
Sherrill and Gottheimer often side with Republicans on immigration, policing, and voting rights.
An NJ Spotlight News analysis found that either Sherrill, Gottheimer, or both voted with Republicans 38 times on GOP bills and amendments during the last congressional session.
Out of the 38 bills and amendments, Gottheimer voted with Republicans 36 times and Sherrill voted with Republicans 19 times.
Sherrill also abstained on one harsh Republican immigration bill and voted “present” on a symbolic resolution that conflates criticism of Israeli policies with antisemitism. Most Democrats opposed those measures.
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