The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Dorchester closed abruptly on Tuesday, but will reopen to the public Wednesday, following a chaotic sequence of events triggered by a White House executive order that impacted federal workers.

The library initially told the public it would be “closed until further notice," according to a message posted on its website on Tuesday, Feb. 18.

The library’s foundation later confirmed that the closure was triggered by an executive order from the White House that deals with "probationary" workers in the federal government, which included five staff members at the Columbia Point library.

According to a different source, the library was instructed to "lay off all probationary members of staff" — defined as "people who have been with the Library for less than a year"— which included five employees who deal directly with visitors to the museum.

Senior leaders at the library were "devastated that our dedicated and talented Library colleagues have been treated in this way."

The library and museum, which opened in 1979, is one of 14 presidential libraries across the country and is administered by the National Archives and Records Administration, a federal agency.

This is not the first time that the Kennedy Library has been negatively impacted by federal cuts and Washington D.C. strife.

In 2018-2019— during the first Trump administration— the library was forced to close for more than a month when a government "shutdown" prompted widespread service suspensions across the country.

US Senator Ed Markey, in a social media post, said shutting down the JFK Library “if even for just a day, isn’t just wrong, it degrades the very office of the President.”

Congressman Stephen F. Lynch said he was “very disappointed that Donald Trump and Elon Musk have forced the JFK Presidential Library to be closed to the public. Congress recently approved sufficient funding to keep the JFK Library open and this overreach is one more unlawful action by the Trump administration.”

In a statement sent to The Reporter today, Boston City Councillor John FitzGerald slammed the Trump administration for causing the temporary closure.

"I stand with the workers, educators, and all who rely on this institution. Boston will not let its history be erased and I will fight for the library's reopening," said FitzGerald, who represents Dorchester on the council. "Perhaps a visit to the library could have taught the president something about integrity and putting country over self."

In response to the Reporter’s request for comment, US Senator Elizabeth Warren’s office sent the following statement: “President Trump is firing American workers who monitor bird flu outbreaks, safeguard nuclear facilities, and now those who promote American history in Dorchester – all to help pay for tax breaks for billionaires and giant corporations. Trump’s shutdown of the JFK Library won’t lower egg prices or make housing more affordable, but it’s part of a retribution tour designed to distract from his agenda to enrich the wealthy and well-connected at the expense of everyone else.”

-Developing story-