Official: Trump's 2018 Budget Calls for Elimination of National Endowment for the Arts

In news which was unfortunately expected, Donald Trump's official budget for the fiscal year 2018 will call for the eventual elimination of funding for The National Endowment for the Arts. Variety reports that the proposal calls for providing a mere $29 million in funding "to conduct an orderly closeout of the agency beginning in fiscal year 2018." The amount represents a fraction of the estimated $158 million spent by the NEA this year.

In additional bad news for the arts, Trump's budget also calls for the elimination of funding for public TV and radio stations via the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Although the CPB received an advanced appropriation for its 2018 fiscal year, the White House budget would essentially cancel most of its $445 million in funding. Instead, the budget calls for $30 million to conduct "an orderly closeout" of CPB funding.

Paula Kerger, the president and CEO of PBS, said in a statement, "Cutting federal funding for public media would result in a tremendous loss to our country that would be especially devastating for rural and underserved communities."

The proposed budget cuts are expected to result in a strong round of lobbying over the summer. To show your support for the NEA, contact your congressional representative. They may be found by zip code here.