As you know, earlier this month the White House proposed eliminating all funding for the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities in next year’s federal budget. We have all been aggressively fighting to protect these vital agencies, and we thank you for all you are doing to help!

Unfortunately, yesterday, the White House took yet another shameless step, proposing that Congress immediately cut $18 billion from a targeted list of federal domestic programs out of the current budget, including$15 million each from the NEA and the NEH. The stated purpose of the proposed new cut is to offset their desired increase in defense and border security spending.

According to a CQ – Roll Call report, top Republican leaders bristled at the proposal, stating that not only is it Congress who writes the appropriations bills to determine how taxpayers’ money is spent, but that the cuts are too big and too late in the current fiscal year, which ends in October.

Here are three things you can do:

1. Call the offices of the Republican Appropriations leaders to tell them that they need to stop any last minute attempts to retroactively cut funding in the current fiscal year:
   (a) Thad Cochran, Chairman Senate Appropriations Committee. (202) 224-5054
   (b) Lisa Murkowski, Chair Senate, Subcommittee, Interior. (202)-224-6665
   (c) Rodney Frelinghuysen, Chairman House Appropriations Committee. (202) 225-5034
   (d) Ken Calvert, Chairman House Subcommittee, Interior. (202) 225-1986
2. Use this tool from the Americans for the Arts to send a customizable message to your elected representatives in Congress and urge them to oppose any attempt to cut funding to the NEA and NEH.
3. Share this information on FACEBOOK and TWITTER to help rally national support to #SaveTheNEA.

Thank you for everything you are doing to help! As advocates for the arts and literature we must do everything we can to make sure our voices are heard.