Jerry Nadler: “I rise tonight to celebrate the arts in America and to call on my colleagues to fully fund the National Endowment for…”

“I rise tonight to celebrate the arts in America and to call on my colleagues to fully fund the National Endowment for the Arts [NEA], the National Endowment for the Humanities [NEH], and the Institute of Museum and Library Services [IMLS]. Whether it is visual art, performance art, music, poetry, literature, or historical preservation, the NEA, the NEH, and the IMLS have all served our Nation well, and America is stronger because of them. I am proud that my district includes most of the Broadway theater and many of the nonprofit theater institutions, including Lincoln Center and the New York Shakespeare Festival. It also includes the SoHo art galleries, museums, radio and television studios, record and film companies, and hundreds of individual artists, writers, dancers, and musicians. The positive economic impact of this arts community has long been documented. The contributions they make to the economy and to the quality of life in New York is immense. In fact, when people nationally and internationally think about New York City, they often think about its cultural richness.”