Happy new year! Everyone at NASAA is very excited about what lies ahead for us in 2020. But before looking ahead, I’d like to reflect back on the end of 2019, which turned out to be a landmark year for the National Endowment for the Arts and its support in Congress. As is often the…
Members of the House and Senate came back to Washington this week for what is expected to be a busy and contentious work period. Current funding for the federal government is set to expire in less than three weeks (December 20), and while members of both parties are motivated to resolve differences and pass fiscal…
With less than a month remaining before funding for the federal government expires on November 21, the U.S. Senate took a significant step forward when it passed its first fiscal 2020 spending package last week. Senators voted 84-9 on a $332 billion spending package, which combined four domestic spending bills covering the departments of Agriculture, the…
While Congress begins its annual August recess, it does so having confirmed Mary Anne Carter’s nomination to lead the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). NASAA has thoroughly enjoyed working with Carter since she was appointed to a senior position with the agency early in 2017 and as her role has grown. Though the approval…
Late last month, before adjourning for the July Fourth recess, the House of Representatives passed by a vote of 227 to 194 legislation that would increase National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) fiscal year 2020 funding from its existing level of $155 million to $167.5 million. While the vote was almost entirely along party lines,…
May was a great month in D.C. for the arts and state arts agencies! It began with NASAA holding a fantastic briefing in the U.S. Capitol examining the power of arts and culture to expand economic opportunities for the 60 million Americans who live in rural areas. The event was widely attended and included remarks…
After a two-week recess for the Easter and Passover holidays, Congress returned to session this week for what may be one of the busiest work periods of the year. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has set an ambitious goal of completing all 13 fiscal year 2020 appropriations bills before July 4. Given that the House…
Last month, when President Trump submitted his budget proposal to Congress for fiscal year 2020, it included a recommendation to eliminate the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). While this was not unexpected, it is nevertheless disappointing, particularly given the critical leadership, programming and support that continues to be developed and implemented at the arts…
2019 is off to a busy start. As you are aware, last month, with another government shutdown only days away, members of Congress and President Trump were able to reach an agreement to fund all federal agencies until the end of this fiscal year (September 30). In doing so, the National Endowment for the Arts…
When the federal government partially shut down, the 116th Congress began its term under unusual circumstances, forced to deal with complicated negotiations from day one. Now that the government has completely reopened, congressional leadership is working simultaneously both to find a solution that will fund the government for the remainder of the fiscal year (the…
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