JFK Library in Boston rehires all employees let go due to Trump executive order
The JFK Library Foundation says five employees who were dismissed last week because of President Trump's executive order on federal workforce reductions have been rehired at the John F. Kennedy Library and Museum in Boston.
The library in Dorchester closed on the afternoon of Feb. 18 as a result of the sudden layoffs. It was able to reopen the next day as senior staff and archivists covered for the fired employees.
"As the Foundation that supports the JFK Library, we are relieved that all five of the JFK Library staff members who were let go last week have been reinstated," the JFK Library Foundation said in a statement. "They are all critical to Library revenue generating operations, which can now resume as normal, and it is wonderful to have our valued colleagues back."
What to know about the fired JFK Library workers
JFK Library board member Stephen Kennedy Smith told CNN last week that the dismissed employees handled ticketing and public events at the library and did not make a lot of money.
"They generate a net surplus for the federal government so it doesn't make a whole lot of sense to fire the people who are generating revenue for the organization," he told CNN.
The JFK Library, established in 1979, is open seven days a week for most of the year. It receives some of money for personnel and building maintenance from the federal government, but most of its budget comes from admission fees and donations.
More layoffs at the federal level could be coming soon. Government agencies have been told to submit "reorganization plans" and prepare for mass firings, according to a memo obtained by CBS News.
