On the recordApril 6, 2017
I thank the gentlewoman for her presence here today but, most especially, for her outstanding words and participation in this effort. Thank you for what you have contributed here today, your wonderful perspective. I hope it catches the President's attention and, hopefully, reverses this effort to zero out funding for the National Endowments for the Arts and the Humanities. Mr. Speaker, some may think of the arts and humanities as just luxuries or extras, but they are not. They are central to who we are. It is also about the jobs they create and how the artists and the folks from the humanities contribute to our economy, people who earn a living and pay taxes and, again, are a vibrant part of our communities, our States, and our country. So that is something else that is important to remember. Mr. Speaker, I am very proud now to yield to my colleague from New York (Mr. Tonko), who has an important perspective to offer.
