Tom Udall: “I also would stand in support of the Slaughter/Shays/Dicks/Leach/Price amendment. Madam Chairman, I rise today in strong…”

“I also would stand in support of the Slaughter/Shays/Dicks/Leach/Price amendment. Madam Chairman, I rise today in strong support of the Slaughter Shays-Dicks-Price-Leach Amendment to increase funding for the National Endowment for the Arts and for the National Endowment for the Humanities. In my district in New Mexico, arts and humanities are a significant part of daily life--the name ``Sante Fe'' conjures up images of Georgia O'Keefe's beautiful flowers and Ansel Adams' breathtaking photographs. But arts and humanities programs are also a major employer. New Mexico's third congressional district has over 1,700 arts-related businesses that employ over 5,300 people. This includes the famed Santa Fe Opera, the budding film industry, numerous respected museums, hundreds of art galleries, mariachi bands, arts schools, and more. Many of these artists make use of grants through the NEA and NEH. Unfortunately, NEA and NEH programs remain seriously underfunded due to past budget cuts. This modest amendment seeks to increase funding for the National Endowment for the Humanities' ``We the People,'' initiative by $5 million, and the National Endowment for the Arts' ``Challenge America'' program by $10 million. In congressional terms, these amounts are a blip on the budget screen.…”