Call to Action: Trump Proposes to Eliminate NEA Again

(republished from the Arts Action Fund newsletter)

February 12, 2018

The White House released its proposed 2019 budget to Congress today, officially calling again for termination of the nation’s cultural agencies, including the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), National Endowment for the Humanities, Institute of Museum and Library Services, and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. We’re calling on our members to help us once again #SavetheNEA.

This is the second time in a row that President Trump has called on Congress to terminate the budgets of these agencies. Ignoring the fact that Congress soundly rejected this same attempt last year, the Administration has once again proposed on $28.9 million for the orderly close out of the NEA. Despite the President’s State of the Union speech last month proclaiming ‘Americans fill the world with art and music,’ there seems to be a disconnect on the need to invest in our nation’s future support of the arts and arts education. The federal investment in the arts helps power the creative economy in America.

Eliminating the NEA would be a devastating blow to the arts in America. For more than 50 years, the NEA has expanded access to the arts for all Americans, awarding grants in every Congressional district throughout all 50 states and U.S. Territories, as well as placing arts therapists in 12 military hospitals to help returning soldiers heal from traumatic brain injuries. The NEA is also an economic powerhouse, generating more than $600 million annually in additional matching funds and helping to shape a $730 billion arts and culture industry that represents 4.2% of the nation’s GDP and supports 4.8 million jobs.

1. The most important thing you can do is to take two minutes to send a customizable message to your elected representatives in Congress and urge them to oppose any attempt to eliminate or cut funding to the NEA.

2. Post on Facebook and Twitter to help rally national support to save the NEA. There is strength in numbers and your social media friends can help.

3. Register for National Arts Advocacy Day. Come to Washington, D.C. on March 12-13, 2018, to meet with your Congressional delegation and share your story about the importance of the arts in your life, schools, and community.

4. Contribute to the Arts Action Fund to help ensure we have the resources to support pro-arts Congressional candidates who will help us save the NEA.

Thank you,

Nina Ozlu Tunceli
Executive Director

P.S. For more detailed information about today’s breaking news, please visit the following:

Robert Lynch’s full statement in response to President Trump’s FY’19 budget
Detailed Budget Comparison Chart of all the federal cultural agencies