📚D.C. Circuit preserves IMLS after Congress funds 123,000 libraries

The Library Services and Technology Act provides $200 million annually that keeps 9,000 rural libraries operational, but Trump's elimination forces permanent closures in small towns that cannot replace federal support. Rural Americans lose their only internet access points, literacy programs, and community meeting spaces, creating information deserts that isolate entire regions from digital participation.

Local censorship groups gain power to remove books from public libraries when federal grants no longer require First Amendment compliance. Religious and political minorities lose access to materials reflecting their experiences while librarians face termination for refusing to eliminate books that offend political majorities, ending intellectual freedom in publicly funded institutions.

Public libraries provide internet access for 21% of Americans who cannot afford home broadband, particularly low-income families, elderly residents, and rural populations. Federal funding cuts eliminate these digital access points precisely when government services, job applications, and educational resources move online, permanently excluding vulnerable populations from modern society participation.

Adult literacy classes, childhood reading programs, English language learning courses, and computer training that operate through public libraries face elimination when federal funding disappears. Local budgets in low-income communities cannot replace these services, creating permanent educational barriers for populations that depend on free public programs for advancement.