Patsy T. Mink: “I rise to denounce the shameful war being waged on the arts and humanities. The National Endowment for the Arts [NEA]…”

“I rise to denounce the shameful war being waged on the arts and humanities. The National Endowment for the Arts [NEA] and National Endowment for the Humanities [NEH] have had fundamental impacts on our lives and our children's lives over the past 30 years. It is difficult to comprehend reasons behind vicious attacks on the very things that enrich our lives through music, art, dance, history, and other means of celebrating culture. The appropriations process of the 104th Congress severely cut funding for the NEA and NEH. The NEA suffered a cut of 39 percent from $162 million in fiscal year 1995 to $99.5 million in fiscal year 1997, and the NEH, a cut of 36 percent from $172 million in fiscal year 1995 to $110 million in fiscal year 1997. These cuts have forced the NEA and NEH to reduce staff and grants to States, which has hurt local communities in every congressional district. Some would have gone farther and had these agencies slated for termination--the NEA by September 30, 1997, and the NEH by September 30, 1998. Fortunately, such proposals were eliminated before final passage of the Omnibus Consolidated Appropriations Act of 1997. We must keep them from ever becoming law and prevent the NEA and NEH from being eliminated.”