Take Action Now: The US Senate Taking Up Arts Related Funding Bills Tomorrow

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This week is a pivotal moment in the federal appropriations process for you to send a timely email to your Senators in support of FY’24 arts-related funding. Members of the full Senate Appropriations Committee will take up three priority bills tomorrow morning. Please urge your Senators to support the following funding levels:

  • $211 million each for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) in the FY’24 Interior Appropriations bill.

  • $20.5 billion for Title I-A and other well-rounded programs to support Arts Education in the FY’24 Labor, HHS, and Education Appropriations bill.

  • $22 million for Community Arts Engagement in the FY’24 Defense Appropriations bill.

Please take two minutes to send customizable e-mails to both your Senators on all three issues through our Arts Action Center.  Your outreach is crucial because last month, the House Appropriations Committee made drastic cuts in their appropriations bills. This includes a 10% cut to the NEA and NEH, as well as an 80% cut for Title I-A education programs for underserved populations and 100% elimination of the Assistance to Arts Education program.

We need the Senate to fully fund these programs in order to send a strong message back to the House. After Labor Day, we expect further attempts at funding cuts in the House when their appropriations bills come to the floor for a vote and be subject to a series of possible weakening funding and conservative social agenda amendments. We will send you another timely customized action alert at that time that targets your House members.

Last year, the arts community came together to help increase the NEA and NEH funding to a historic 15 percent increase to $207 million, first-time arts funding at the Department of Defense, and increases in education funding. Contact your Senators today. We need your help again to fend off cuts to arts programs at multiple federal agencies.