Major Funding Cuts to the NEA!

This morning, the U.S. House of Representatives approved, by a close vote of 217-209, an amendment to cut an additional $20.5 million from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) in the FY 2011 appropriations package. The amendment offered by Rep. Tim Walberg (R-MI) would reduce the NEA budget to $124.5 million, turning the clock back four years to its FY 2007 funding level. Considering the fact that the House Appropriations Committee had already cut the NEA’s budget by $22.5 million before it even got to the floor, this additional cut aggravates an already difficult situation. The NEA has not seen this kind of deep cut in 16 years.

To see how your member voted, please visit our Roll Call link by tomorrow at 3pm ET. For a quick preview of key votes, see the chart below.

Republicans Voting AGAINST NEA Cuts		Democrats Voting FOR NEA Cuts
Bass, C. (NH-02) Biggert (IL-13) Buchanan (FL-13) Dent (PA-15) Dold (IL-10) Gerlach (PA-06) Gibson, C. (NY-20) Grimm (NY-13) Hanna (NY-24) Lance (NJ-07) LaTourette (OH-14)	McKinley (WV-01) Meehan (PA-07) Platts (PA-19) Schock (IL-18) Shimkus (IL-19) Simpson, M. (ID-02) Stivers (OH-15) Tiberi (OH-12) Turner, M. (OH-03) Walden, G. (OR-02) Wolf (VA-10)	Boren, Dan (OK-02) Cardoza (CA-18) Costa (CA-20)

Members Not Voting: Boehner (OH-08); Giffords (AZ-08); Green, G. (TX-29); Diaz-Balart, M. (FL-21); Matheson (UT-02); Sullivan (OK-01) ; Wittman (VA-01); Young, D. (AK-AL)

Two Amendments Withdrawn:
The two amendments to zero-out funding to the National Endowment for the Arts by Reps. Scott Garrett (R-NJ) and Connie Mack (R-FL) were in effect withdrawn. The grassroots arts support rejecting these amendments was clearly effective. Advocates sent more than 62,000 messages to Congress within a three-week period.

Next Steps:
Congress will begin a 10-day recess on February 18. When they return, the U.S. Senate will begin consideration of their own version of the FY 2011 funding legislation as early as February 28. While members of Congress are back home in their districts, we encourage you to inform your local media about the devastating impact the House appropriations bill would have on the arts in your community. Americans for the Arts has set up a Media Alert through our E-Advocacy Center to help you quickly and efficiently send your opinions to the local radio, TV, and newspaper stations in your area. We’ve already matched up the media contacts for you based on your zip code. You just need to customize the article’s talking points and hit send.

We need the Senate to reverse the potentially devastating effects that could be caused on the arts that the FY 2011 appropriations bill passed by the House today. Our customizable Media Alert is a fast and easy way to communicate your support for the NEA to local media outlets and help show your U.S. Senators why the NEA is an important grant-making agency in your state.

Help us continue this important work by becoming an official member of the Arts Action Fund. If you are not already a member play your part by joining the Arts Action Fund today -- it's free and simple.

Senate Arts Vote

Did you ever make the Honor Roll as a student? Being recognized for being in the top of your class – what an accomplishment! Well, our U.S. Senators brought home their grades and although they weren’t graded on their paintings or musical scales, some managed to make the arts Honor Roll.

The Arts Action Fund graded the members of the U.S. Senate on their support for the arts just like on those report cards that you used to bring home - except we used criteria like voting in support of the arts, joining the Senate Arts Caucus, and more. Senators had three opportunities to vote on the arts during the past two years—from including the arts in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to supporting public art along our nation’s highways to ensuring museums received federal funds. Your senators had the chance to stand up for the arts and many of them rose to the occasion.

Whether they speak out in support of the arts, are aware of the economic role the arts play and the well-being they provide in their state, or simply quietly cast their vote, each of the thirteen Senators we have featured received an A+ to B+ on their support for the arts. And they aren’t the only ones – in fact there are thirty-seven who received a B+ or above on our Congressional Arts Report Card.

Sadly, there are also many who failed in their support of the arts. You can learn more about what it means to fail the arts and who these Senators are in the Dirty Dozen feature of the Congressional Arts Report Card.

Making the Honor Roll affects more than just those Senators who find their names there. Acing the arts as a Senator means supporting the arts for the whole country. It is the support of the arts at the federal level that helps the arts in your community, and communities across the country thrive.

Take a moment to let these Senators know that while they might not receive a gold star for their A grade like they once did, their support is noticed. Share the Honor Roll via Twitter or Facebook with the links below and help get the word out. Or go one step further and support the arts year round by lending your voice to the growing grassroots movement for the arts in America.

View the grades for all members of the Senate.

View the Dirty Dozen.

View Same State, Different Story.

Americans for the Arts

Please note this important message from Americans for the Arts, Arts Action Fund. The American Recovery & Reinvestment Act of 2009 is being considered by Congress right now, and a growing number of media reports have portrayed the arts funding included in the House version of the bill negatively.  Americans for the Arts is calling on all of our members to provide a coordinated public relations response to educate the public and put pressure on Congress.  We ask that you take two minutes to send a short letter to the editor of your local media outlet. As Americans for the Arts has previously reported, the House bill includes a $50 milllion provision for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA).  As the legislation states, the NEA "is positioned to use existing mechanisms to allocate lifeline funding quickly to these nonprofit organizations to retain jobs" and there is solid research to demonstrate the stimulus gains that can be provided by this funding.  However, there has been some opposition and negative press received from news media across the country. As Congress spends the next few days completing their work on this legislation, it is the exact time for arts advocates to write to their local media outlets today and fight back against threats to the funding and anti-art amendments.  Visit our new Action Alert which will provide you with helpful information to send a Letter to the Editor to your local media outlets. If you take action today, we expect that this pro-arts message will show up in news reports by early next week, just when Congress is expected to be making final decisions on the legislation. Ask your Member of Congress and Senators to support the arts in this legislation.