The White House on Thursday notified Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden that she was removed from her position, a spokesperson for the Library of Congress told CNN.
While the reason for Hayden’s removal was not immediately clear, several congressional Democrats swiftly criticized President Donald Trump and accused him of targeting books.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries in a statement called Hayden’s termination “a disgrace and the latest in his ongoing effort to ban books, whitewash American history and turn back the clock.”
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a statement that Hayden’s removal is Trump’s “latest foray in his relentless campaign to dismantle the guardrails of our democracy and punish public servants who don’t bend to his every will.”
CNN has reached out to the White House for comment.
Hayden was sworn in as the librarian of Congress in September 2016, becoming the first woman and Black person to hold the position. She had about a year and a half left in her 10-year term.
The Library of Congress is the world’s largest library and the US Congress’ primary research arm, according to its website. The library houses more than 178 million items, including books, photographs, musical instruments and ancient artifacts.
Hayden told CNN during the early days of her tenure that her plans for the library included bringing the contents of the library to people who might not have direct access to the physical building in the nation’s capital.
In 2022, Hayden allowed singer and flutist Lizzo to play President James Madison’s 200-year-old crystal flute onstage at her Washington, DC, concert.
Democratic Sen. Martin Heinrich of New Mexico applauded Hayden for bringing “the Library of Congress to the people, with initiatives that reached into rural communities and made the Library accessible to all Americans, in person and online.”
“While President Trump wants to ban books and tell Americans what to read — or not to read at all, Dr. Hayden has devoted her career to making reading and the pursuit of knowledge available to everyone,” Heinrich added. “Be like Dr. Hayden.”
This story has been updated with additional details.
CNN’s Jamie Gangel and Samantha Waldenberg contributed to this report.
For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com
