Get Ready to Support the NEA in FY2014 Budget

Congress is currently in the midst of a two-week recess for the Easter and Passover holidays. When they return on April 8, both the House and Senate are expected begin working almost immediately on the fiscal year 2014 budget, which has already been delayed for several months as Congress tried unsuccessfully to prevent sequestration and then had to negotiate legislation funding the federal government for the remainder of FY2013.

With both issues now resolved, President Obama is expected to release his FY2014 budget proposal to Congress on April 10. Once the budget is released, NASAA will provide an update to you outlining the president’s recommendations. However, while we are still about a week away from knowing what the president will recommend for funding for the NEA for next year, there are things you can do now to prepare.

Identify the Key Policymakers in Congress

Once the president submits his recommendations to Congress, the House and Senate are expected to begin working almost immediately on the FY2014 appropriations bills, possibly holding hearings this month. Below is a list of the members of the House and Senate Appropriations Interior Subcommittees, which have jurisdiction over the NEA’s budget. While we encourage everyone to contact their representatives, if your state is represented by a member of these committees, contact from you is particularly important.

House Appropriations Committee Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies

Republican Subcommittee Members
Mike Simpson, Idaho, Chairman
Ken Calvert, California
David Valadao, California
Tom Graves, Georgia
David Joyce, Ohio
Tom Cole, Oklahoma
Jaime Herrera Beutler, Washington

Democrat Subcommittee Members
Jim Moran, Virginia, Ranking Member
Chellie Pingree, Maine
Betty McCollum, Minnesota
José Serrano, New York

Senate Appropriations Committee Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies

Democrat Subcommittee Members
Jack Reed, Rhode Island, Chairman
Mark Begich, Alaska
Dianne Feinstein, California
Jon Tester, Montana
Tom Udall, New Mexico
Jeff Merkley, Oregon
Tim Johnson, South Dakota
Patrick Leahy, Vermont

Republican Subcommittee Members
Lisa Murkowski, Alaska, Ranking Member
Thad Cochran, Mississippi
Roy Blunt, Missouri
Mike Johanns, Nebraska
John Hoeven, North Dakota
Lamar Alexander, Tennessee

Connect NEA Funding to Your State

One of the special things about the National Endowment for the Arts is that it funds projects in every state and territory. As you prepare your talking points, try to link your argument to the representative’s district. Think about a great local gallery or theatre and how funding from the NEA is vital to its success. Remember that while a representative’s district staff may know you and the arts organizations in the community well, the D.C. staff, to whom you will be talking about this issue, may be less familiar. Therefore, connecting the dots between the overall funding level at the NEA and arts organizations at the local level is very important.