President Donald Trump fired Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden Thursday, according to a library spokesperson and an email obtained by Blue Light News.

“Carla, On behalf of President Donald J. Trump, I am writing to inform you that your position as the Librarian of Congress is terminated effective immediately. Thank you for your service,” wrote Deputy Director of Presidential Personnel Trent Morse in an email to Hayden sent at 6:56 p.m.

Hayden’s firing generated an immediate backlash from congressional Democrats. Rep. Joe Morelle (D-N.Y.), the top Democrat on the House committee that oversees the library, slammed Trump for “firing a patriotic public servant.” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries piled on, calling the decision “unjust” and a “disgrace.” Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) praised Hayden in a statement and said Trump was “taking his assault on America’s libraries to a new level.”

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Hayden became the first Black Librarian of Congress and the first woman to lead the world’s largest library after the Senate confirmed her in a 74-18 vote in 2016. Her 10-year term began that year, though she may have been eligible for renewal under rules set by Congress.

Hayden was nominated by President Barack Obama, who knew Hayden from her time at the Chicago Public Library. Immediately before being tapped as Librarian of Congress, she led the Enoch Pratt Free Library in Baltimore.

She has been a prominent public face of the Library of Congress, active on social media and expanding offerings of events at the library. She launched a strategic plan for the library and was shepherding a complete overhaul of the visitor experience, including significant structural changes to create a new way for visitors to view the iconic reading room.

Hayden faced criticism from House Republicans at a House Administration hearing Tuesday about cost increases and delays to that project.

Gregory Svirnovskiy contributed to this report

House Ways and Means Chair Jason Smith is set to meet Friday with President Donald Trump at the White House with the tax portion of the GOP megabill at risk of unraveling, according to three people granted anonymity to describe the private plans.

Smith will have to inform Trump that the tax portion of the megabill has been limited by the GOP’s inability to build support for deep spending cuts and that Republicans will have to leave out some of his priorities, according to three other people with direct knowledge of the matter.

The White House meeting will come a day after Speaker Mike Johnson privately told Republicans Thursday that they would only be able to pay for $4 trillion in tax cuts, versus the $4.5 trillion they had previously been targeting to enact the president’s sprawling tax demands.

Smith explained Trump’s latest asks for the tax bill to Ways and Means Republicans in a Thursday morning meeting. They include closing the so-called carried interest loophole and hiking taxes on the wealthiest Americans, according to two other people.

Senate Democrats are asking Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chair Rand Paul to convene a hearing on President Donald Trump’s deportation policies, including claims that administration officials are defying court orders in their haste to expel foreigners from the U.S.

In a letter obtained by POLITICO, all the panel’s Democrats called on Paul to “immediately” hold a hearing on Trump’s approach to a series of high-profile deportation fights, including the transfer of more than 200 foreigners to a notorious high-security prison in El Salvador in March. Judges have found two of the deportations to be illegal or improper, while another judge is mulling contempt proceedings after concluding the administration might have defied his orders.

“The Administration demonstrates its intention to upend our nation’s bedrock principles of checks and balances by placing the Executive Branch above the law and outside the reach of judicial orders,” said the letter, signed by the committee’s top Democrat, Sen. Gary Peters of Michigan, and colleagues. “The Administration has declined to present evidence of their claims in court, they have denied individuals their right to have a hearing to contest the government’s claims, and they have refused to follow the rulings of multiple courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court.”

The Democrats said Trump’s policies threaten to impact U.S. citizens as well, since he has publicly said he’d like to send American criminals to foreign prisons.

In the letter sent Wednesday, Peters and colleagues asked Paul to summon three Cabinet members — Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Attorney General Pam Bondi and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem — as well as FBI Director Kash Patel.

The letter warns that Republicans could “embolden” Trump by failing to conduct oversight of his administration’s action, but it also makes reference to Paul’s independent streak, praising him as “a steadfast advocate for Congress’ role as a co-equal branch of government.”

A spokesperson for Paul did not immediately respond to a request for comment.