Sean Patrick Maloney: “I rise against the rule and in support of one of America's greatest treasures, the National Endowment for the Arts. My…”

“I rise against the rule and in support of one of America's greatest treasures, the National Endowment for the Arts. My colleagues, who want to slash the NEA budget, say it is elitist and controversial. Some claim that eliminating the NEA will help cut the deficit. But their numbers do not add up. The NEA budget represents only 0.01 percent of the Federal budget. That translates into 35 cents a person, little more than the cost of one postage stamp. In fact the NEA actually brings in money. The arts generate $36 billion in revenue and pay $3.4 billion in Federal income taxes. In New York State, the NEA is a boon to the economy. The arts employ approximately 174,000 New Yorkers and attract millions of tourists annually, producing an estimated $13 billion in revenue. Without the NEA, local theater and educational groups that introduce children to the arts will be forced to dim their lights. That would be a serious loss to this country.”