House Appropriations Committee Approves $145 Million for NEA | July 19, 2017

Last night, the full House Appropriations Committee approved a budget for the Department of Interior that would fund the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) at $145 million for fiscal year 2018. 

Congress has shown strong bipartisan support in recent years, increasing the NEA’s budget by $2 million in both FY 2016 and 2017, resulting in a $150 million budget in FY17. This occurred in spite of the administration’s request to cut the agency by $15 million in FY17 and releasing a budget proposal that would eliminate the agency in FY18.

The full House must still pass this legislation and the Senate also needs to introduce a budget proposal for the Interior Department, which likely won't happen until after the August recess.

This past year, members of the Senate requested at least $150 million in funding for the NEA. There is still time to urge the Senate to reinstate the $5 million eliminated from the House proposal. Dance/USA, along with our arts partners, will continue to urge the Senate to fund the NEA at $155 million for FY18.

Thank you for your ongoing advocacy!

TAKE ACTION

Dance/USA continues to advocate for the field, meeting with Congressional offices and working with national arts organization partners. Find additional talking points about the value of the NEA, as well as other key legislative issues, by visiting Dance/USA's advocacy page.