ShorelineArtsAlliance

Monday, March 20, 2017

Advocacy Alert!!

Last week the White House submitted a budget proposal to Congress that eliminates funding for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), and the Corporation for National and Community Services (Americorps), among other federal agencies.

Eliminating the NEA would be a devastating blow to the arts and cultural ecosystem of our region, Connecticut, and the nation.

With only a $148 million annual appropriation - that's 0.004% of the total federal budget - the NEA awards grants to artists and organizations in every Congressional district, generates more than $600 million annually in additional matching funds, and supports 4.8 million jobs.
Congress will now consider this budget proposal. Funding federal arts and cultural agencies has historically received bipartisan support, and we want you to share your voice with our Congressional representatives. President Trump himself has said, "The Congress, as representatives of the people, make the determination as to what the spending priorities ought to be."

1. Take 2 minutes now to contact your members of Congress and join the #SaveTheNEA campaign. Send a customizable message to your elected representatives in Congress and urge them to oppose any attempt to eliminate or cut funding to the NEA.

2. Call or write your members of Congress and tell them to continue funding arts and culture.

Senator Richard Blumenthal
(202) 224-2823
706 Hart Senate Office Building Washington DC 20510
www.blumenthal.senate.gov

Senator Chris Murphy
(202) 224-4041
136 Hart Senate Office Building Washington DC 20510
www.murphy.senate.gov

3. Post on Facebook and Twitter to help rally support.

4. Learn more about the NEA and its impact locally, statewide and across the nation
Americans for the Arts Mobilization Center: http://www.americansforthearts.org/news-room/arts-mobilization-center

Fact vs. Fiction: Government Arts Funding (National Assembly of State Arts Agencies): http://www.nasaa-arts.org/Advocacy/Advocacy-Tools/FactvFictionGovtArtsFunding.pdf

"The Real Cost of Abolishing the National Endowment for the Arts" (The Atlantic): https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2017/03/what-eliminating-the-arts-and-humanities-endowments-would-really-mean/519774/

"Trump's Budget Worry State's Arts and Cultural Leaders" including Eugene

O' Neill Theater Center's Preston Whiteway (Hartford Courant): http://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-nea-neh-cpb-funding-cuts-proposal-0317-20170316-story.html

U.S Representatives
John Larson                                                                                                            Jim Himes
(202)-225-2265                                                                                                       (202)-225-5541
1501 Longworth House Office Building Washington DC 20515                              1227 Longworth House Office Bldg. Washington DC 20515

www.larson.house.gov                                                                                            www.himes.house.gov

Joe Courtney                                                                                                           Elizabeth Esty
(202)225-2076                                                                                                        (202)-225-4476
2348 Rayburn House Office Bldg. Washington DC 20515                                      221 Cannon House Office Bldg. Washington DC 20515
www.courtney.house.gov                                                                                        www.esty.house.gov

Rosa DeLauro
(202)-225-3661
2413 Rayburn Office Bldg. Washington DC 20515