Earlier this month, we celebrated National Library Week -- a time to honor the institutions that have long been cornerstones of learning, literacy, and opportunity in this country.

But right now, our libraries are under attack, John. We must continue fighting for what’s right. I’m asking you to join me in standing up for our libraries and the vital services they provide.

We’ve seen Donald Trump and his allies at DOGE move swiftly to dismantle the very fabric of our federal government. Now, they’ve set their sights on libraries and the librarians who keep them running.

That means student field trips, classes for seniors, and access to popular digital services are now at risk across the country. The American Library Association warns these cuts will hit rural communities the hardest -- gutting programs that provide high-speed internet access and even veterans’ telehealth services.

And that’s not all. The administration is banning books, too. Books on the Holocaust. Histories of civil rights and feminism -- even Maya Angelou’s “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.” Nearly 400 titles have been removed from the U.S. Naval Academy’s library under orders from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, simply because they promote diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Let me be clear: this isn’t about saving money. It’s a deliberate attempt to block access to education, information, and the truth.

This is not just policy -- it’s personal.

My late wife, Emily, was a librarian her entire adult life. She served at the Charleston Naval Hospital and the Dorn VA Hospital in Columbia. She even established the library at W.G. Sanders Middle School. Emily believed -- as I do -- that libraries are sanctuaries of truth and that librarians are among our greatest public servants.

We ought to be empowering our libraries -- not gutting them. We should be standing behind the librarians who make it possible for our children to read freely, for our seniors to learn new skills, and for all Americans to access the information they need to thrive.

Thank you for everything you do to help make America’s greatness accessible for everyone,

Jim