President Biden Proposes 20 Percent Increase in National Endowment For the Arts Budget

President Biden has proposed a 20 percent increase in the budget for the National Endowment for the Arts to $201 million, The New York Times reports. If approved by Congress for the 2022 fiscal year, it would be the largest increase in the organization's history.

This is part of Biden's inaugural $6 trillion budget and comes after the NEA was under the threat of eliminating funding altogether during the presidency of Donald Trump.

"President Biden's budget represents a significant commitment to the arts and cultural sector and reflects the continued importance of arts organizations and cultural workers to the health and vitality of the country," Ann Eilers, the agency's acting chairman, said in a statement.

The "increased investment in the agency will allow it to provide critical support to the arts sector as it struggles to reopen, rehire workers, and generate arts activities that will help fuel the economy."

Read more on The New York Times.

The National Endowment for the Arts is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created by an act of the U.S. Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government.