FY2015 Budget Progress in Congress

June marked an exciting period for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), as Dr. Jane Chu’s nomination to lead the agency was approved by the U.S. Senate. The NEA has operated without a chair since December 2012. In that time, the agency has had to navigate another round of funding cuts related to sequestration, a shutdown of the federal government, and other fiscal and policy challenges.

With Dr. Chu’s nomination settled, the agency and arts advocates around the country turn their attention to Congress and work on the fiscal year 2015 budget. As you may recall, in January Congress approved for the first time in four years a formal budget for all government agencies. This success bred great hope for members of Congress from both sides of the political aisle that passing a budget for FY2015 could occur through the normal budget process, thereby preventing the need for Congress to pass a continuing resolution to keep the government operating.

As July begins, however, neither the House of Representatives nor the Senate has introduced legislation funding several federal agencies, including the National Endowment for the Arts, for FY2015. One of the consequences of 2014 being an election year is that there are only a few working weeks left before the end of the fiscal year. Given that Congress is out of session for almost all of August and the fall to allow members to campaign for reelection, it is looking more likely that Congress will have to pass a continuing resolution to keep those agencies operating when the current fiscal year expires on October 1. To alleviate any concerns, I want to emphasize that there does not appear to be any interest from members of Congress to force the government to shut down.

It is NASAA’s expectation that Congress will release a draft budget for the NEA sometime this month, and when it does, NASAA will alert you to the bill’s introduction. In the meantime, if you have any questions or concerns, please let me know.