Sam Farr: “I rise to acknowledge that this appropriations issue is probably led in this House by two of the finest gentlemen in…”

“I rise to acknowledge that this appropriations issue is probably led in this House by two of the finest gentlemen in here, the gentleman from Ohio and the gentleman from Illinois. It is indeed a beautiful relationship between two senior men in this legislature who have done such an outstanding job in this appropriation, one of the most important for our country because it is really about our soul, about the land and the culture. What I am concerned about is that we again have to bring to the floor and go through a very difficult debate on funding the NEA. The National Endowment for the Arts is not a debate just about arts. It is a debate about whether we are willing to be creative in America. If we are not creative, we are going to lose the competitive advantage. There is not an industry in the United States that does not depend on the arts, does not depend on the imagination, does not depend on the ability to look at things, as they say, outside the box. The people with that creativity come through the art world. It is as the same fingers that operate the computers that operate the piano keys. We have to realize in this country that, if we forgo support for the arts, we forgo our culture. Look at this room and this building. Is this not about art and history of our country? So the National Endowment should not be coming to the floor struggling. We are appropriating $98 million.…”