Librarian should be chosen by Congress, House panel agrees
Source: Roll Call
Posted May 14, 2026 at 4:39pm
One year after President Donald Trump fired the librarian of Congress, support is growing for a bill that would prevent it from happening again. The heads of both the Library of Congress and the Government Publishing Office should be appointed not by the president but by a congressional commission, lawmakers on the House Administration Committee agreed Thursday. The panel easily advanced, 11-0, a proposal that would make that switch while also overhauling the U.S. Copyright Office.
While the unexpected firing of Librarian Carla Hayden last May caused an uproar, Rep. Morgan Griffith, R-Va., said he was taking a longer view. “I feel like doing that disclaimer at the end of a movie: This has nothing to do with any current or former librarians of Congress, or any current or former members of the White House,” said Griffith, the lead sponsor of the bill. But “what is rightfully Congress’ should be Congress’,” he said. “I have long been troubled by the fact that some functions and agencies that truly belong with the legislative branch are actually controlled by the executive.”
Lawmakers pushed through a similar change in 2023 for another legislative branch agency, revoking the president’s power to appoint the Architect of the Capitol and handing it to Congress instead. But that bill was an easier lift, earning widespread support as scandal engulfed former Architect J. Brett Blanton.
This time, Republicans are treading carefully to avoid angering Trump, even as they frame the effort as a way to shore up Congress’ Article One powers. To become law, the bill would now need to pass both chambers before heading to the president’s desk.
Read more: https://rollcall.com/2026/05/14/librarian-should-be-chosen-by-congress-house-panel-agrees/
Dafuq is wrong with these GOP zombies? There should be no question about what Article I powers they have. It was intentionally the biggest Article as they represent 'the people".