Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to join a number of my colleagues in strong support of the National Endowments for the Arts and Humanities. These venerable institutions, which both recently celebrated their 50th anniversaries, are a cornerstone of American cultural expressions. Sadly, they are also under attack. The President's recent budget outline called for the defunding and dismantling of the Endowments. So I have gathered here with my friends and colleagues in the hope that we can help the President change his mind and demonstrate to him the immense benefit that the NEA and the NEH bring to our districts, our country, and, in fact, the world. Being a Rhode Islander, I have always felt a special connection to the arts and humanities. Rhode Island was founded as a colony that welcomed free expression of religion, and that freedom of thought quickly translated into an independent mindedness that drove creative endeavors. It is no wonder, then, that into such an environment was born one of the 20th century's great statesmen and a champion of the arts, our late senior Senator, Senator Claiborne Pell. Senator Pell was a mentor of mine, and I actually had the privilege of interning with him twice at one point. He is rightly lionized for many of his legislative achievements, including the Pell grants that bear his name. But I believe that no issue was closer to his heart than that of preserving and promoting American art and culture.…”