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JFK Library closes suddenly amid federal layoffs, was to reopen Wednesday
The museum is temporarily closed due the sudden dismissal of federal workers, according to the JFK Library Foundation.
The JFK Presidential Library and Museum in Dorchester closed suddenly Tuesday amid mass layoffs of federal workers across all sectors, most orchestrated by the Department of Government Efficiency.
The JFK library announced the closure on its website and social media. The institution is administered by the National Archives and Records Administration, or NARA, a federal agency.
The JFK Library Foundation, which is the organization’s nonprofit, addressed the closure in a statement.
“The sudden dismissal of federal employees at the JFK Library forced the museum to close today,” the foundation said. “As the Foundation that supports the JFK Library, we are devastated by this news and will continue to support our colleagues and the Library.”
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The foundation referred additional inquiries to the NARA, which said the Kennedy library will reopen Wednesday, The Boston Globe reported.
“The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum will be open tomorrow, and the National Archives staff looks forward to welcoming guests, visitors, and researchers,” the NARA statement said, according to the Globe.
A note on the library’s website also said it was to reopen Wednesday.
The museum said the closure stemmed from “the executive order” in a sign posted to the museum door Tuesday, WCVB News reported. DOGE, headed by billionaire Elon Musk, reportedly has been accessing government data systems and laying off federal workers, while the White House says cuts are coming from agency heads.
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Probationary employees, who are within their first or second year of employment, were reportedly laid off, according to CBS News. Recent government hires have been targeted by the Trump administration.
Jack Schlossberg, Kennedy’s grandson, said on Instagram that DOGE shut down the library.
“In my opinion, this has nothing to do with government efficiency. The workers who were fired today actually bring in revenue for the government. It’s really about stealing the past and about generating propaganda so that people don’t know what’s really happening,” Schlossberg said in a video.
The museum includes exhibits highlighting Kennedy’s space program, his younger days in Massachusetts, and more about the Kennedy family. Located in an iconic I.M. Pei building, the library is a destination for families particularly during schools’ February break, which is this week.
“The twisted agenda of an unelected billionaire that leads to the genius idea of closing the JFK Presidential Library during school vacation week is not what anyone voted for,” Steve Kerrigan, the chair of the Massachusetts Democratic Party, wrote on X.
A spokesperson for the museum and the National Archives both did not respond to a request for comment Tuesday evening.
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This article was updated to include additional information.
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