'Thumb in the eye': Republican blowback against new Trump plan ramps up

14 May

U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) holds his weekly press conference following the Republican caucus policy luncheon at Capitol in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 13, 2025.REUTERS/Nathan Howard

A growing number of elected officials from both parties are speaking out against President Donald Trump's shakeup of the Library of Congress' leadership.

Politico reported Wednesday that both Democratic and Republican members of the House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate are pushing back on Trump's firing of former Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden, and his attempt to install Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche – who was his former personal criminal defense attorney – to oversee the vaunted institution. While Republican criticism of Trump's move is more measured than that of Democrats, Politico observed that even top Republicans are still making an effort to draw a line.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) maintained that while Trump "clearly has the authority to remove a Librarian of Congress," the legislative branch still has a role to play in picking the top official who will oversee the Library of Congress' massive inventory of 162 million catalogued items.

"We want to make sure all the — you know, everything’s followed correctly," Johnson said.

And when reporters asked Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) who was in charge of the Library of Congress, Thune notably didn't defer to Trump but instead said "I'm not sure that's been determined." And while Blanche met with the Senate committee that oversees the Library of Congress, the South Dakota Republican would only say that he doesn't know "officially ... whether he's in there or not."

While a president appoints the Librarian of Congress, appointees still have to be confirmed by the full Senate before their 10-year term officially begins. Thune's Wednesday statement came on the heels of remarks he made Monday in which he stated: "We want to make sure congressional equities are respected and protected in this process."

Democrats, on the other hand, have insisted that Trump overstepped his bounds when firing Carla Hayden earlier this month. Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) said that Trump installing Blanche as acting librarian was "obviously a violation of separation of powers," and Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) said it was "like a thumb in the eye to Congress."

Click here to read Politico's full article.

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