The five federal employees who were laid off at Boston’s John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum Tuesday were informed after an early afternoon email was sent to the institution.
John F Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum Director Allen Price said Wednesday he found out by email shortly before 2:00 p.m. Tuesday that the federal government was ordering the termination of five employees in the ticketing department. Because the laid-off employees were the only ones trained to operate the ticketing system, Price said the museum had no choice but to close Tuesday.
“So we had questions about whether we had staff to open. Until we could figure out the staffing solution, we felt it was safer for visitors and for the collections to simply close until we figured that out,” Price said.
Due to the restructuring, members of Price’s team were forced to man the front desk on Wednesday. Because none of the remaining 26 staff members is training on the ticketing system, members of the public were allowed access to the library free of charge.
Price says he hopes to find staff volunteers willing to be cross-trained on the schedule.
“We will find a way to make it work,” Price said.
The museum curator told Boston 25 that an executive order from the White House, part of the Trump Administration’s order to lay off probationary federal workers, led to the dismissal of the five employees.
Price said that although the news of the forced reduction came down quickly, the long-standing museum and library was expecting some sort of change to come down from the federal government.
“We anticipated that something would happen. We didn’t know exactly whom or to the extent and we didn’t know exactly when. So in that sense, not a surprise. But once the details land, it’s certainly impactful on the staff, both those who are leaving and those who remain,” Price detailed.
Before the library opened this morning, one of the visitors held a sign in the parking lot, which read “this is not efficiency this is idiocracy”.
Gov. Maura Healey, in a brief statement released shortly before 6 p.m. Tuesday, echoed similar sentiments, criticizing President Donald Trump and Elon Musk, senior adviser to the president.
“Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s thoughtless crusade has caused an iconic institution and economic driver to close in Massachusetts,” Healey said.
“The JFK Library plays an essential role in our state and nation’s history, our travel and tourism sector, and our economy,” Healey said. “We hope that this closure will be temporary and urge President Trump and DOGE to reverse course so that the library can reopen to continue educating visitors and contributing to our economy.”
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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