With Congress now turning to work on the next fiscal year’s budget (FY2018), Americans for the Arts president and CEO Robert L. Lynch provided testimony to the U.S. House Appropriations Subcommittee on the Interior, Environment and Related Agencies in support of $155 million for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). This funding amount is the position taken by the 88 national partners of Arts Advocacy Day and reflected in the numerous advocacy efforts being pursued currently by Americans for the Arts and dozens of other arts organizations.

In this shortened year for work on the budget, the House subcommittee is holding just one public witness hearing this year. The testimony may be especially important this year as the subcommittee must consider the termination request from the Administration, despite the increased funding both the NEA and NEH received in the FY2017 budget.

Read the testimony here.