Administration of Trump commences job cuts, focusing on employees from National Archives
The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) has initiated a series of layoffs, affecting approximately 3% of its staff, or nearly 100 employees. This move is part of a strategic reallocation of resources to enable faster public access to the agency's records, artifacts, and holdings.
The first round of layoffs has "wiped out" the Office of Innovation and the division that provides support to field offices and presidential libraries. This decision was made carefully and strategically, according to NARA's chief of management and administration, Valorie Findlater.
The layoffs at NARA are in response to a requirement from President Trump for all agencies to reshape their organizations. Earlier this year, Trump fired Colleen Shogan, the most recent U.S. Archivist.
In a surprising turn of events, Trump named State Department Secretary Marco Rubio as acting archivist. However, James Byron, president of the Richard Nixon Foundation, is currently managing the agency on a day-to-day basis.
The layoffs at NARA are not without opposition. A federal judge has blocked the implementation of the order at nearly two-dozen agencies, but NARA is not one of them. The case regarding this block is currently pending before the Supreme Court.
A separate article titled "Judge blocks State Department layoffs" exists, where Rubio attempted to implement Reduction in Force (RIFs) at State over the weekend, but was blocked in federal court at the 11th hour.
The NARA layoffs are not the only controversy surrounding the agency. The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston was temporarily closed due to NARA firing its probationary employees in February. Employees had warned that facilities would be short-staffed, museum programming would be limited, and record retrieval (such as for veterans) would likely see backlogs due to the dismissal of probationary staff.
In a more positive note, it's expected that the 13 libraries currently under NARA management will sustain "deep cuts" in the second round of layoffs. However, the exact details of these cuts are yet to be announced.
As the situation continues to unfold, it's clear that the future of NARA and its staff is uncertain. The agency's role in preserving and providing access to America's historical records is of utmost importance, and the current changes are being closely watched by many.
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