Nita Lowey: “In a nation of such wealth and cultural diversity, it is a tragic commentary on our priorities that we are here today…”

“In a nation of such wealth and cultural diversity, it is a tragic commentary on our priorities that we are here today debating the elimination of the National Endowment for the Arts, an agency that spends less than 40 cents per American each year. One of the standards by which we judge a civilized society is the support it provides for the arts. In comparison to other industrialized nations, the United States falls woefully behind in this area, even with a fully funded NEA. But let us be honest, my colleagues. This is not a fight over money. The Republican leadership wants to eliminate the NEA because they are concerned about artistic expression in a free society. This battle is not about defending the values of mainstream America, this is about pandering to Pat Robertson and the Christian Coalition. The Republican assault on the arts, on cultural expression itself, is an outrage and it must be defeated.”