[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 98 (Friday, July 11, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1411-E1412]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


  DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 
                                  1998

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                        HON. ELIJAH E. CUMMINGS

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, July 11, 1997

  Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in opposition to the rule and 
to advocate on behalf of full funding for the National Endowment for 
the Arts [NEA]. In creating the NEA in 1965, this institution wisely 
noted:

       An advanced civilization must not limit its efforts to 
     science and technology alone but give full value and support 
     to other great branches of scholarly and cultural activity in 
     order to achieve a better understanding of the past, a better 
     analysis of the present, and a better view of the future.

  Mr. Speaker, the arts are the heart of our Nation and the NEA is the 
heart of the arts. Today, there are those who would rip out the heart 
of the artistic community.
  Current funding for the National Endowment for the Arts is certainly 
a modest effort. It accounts for less than one one-hundredth of 1 
percent of our Federal budget. We should already be embarrassed at the 
amount of public support for the arts. Each year Americans pay just 38 
cents of their taxes to support the arts. In Canada and France, per 
capita support for the arts is $32.
  But the impact of this small program is immeasurable. Today, more 
Americans have access to the arts than ever before. The NEA funds 
projects in small cities and rural areas where corporate and foundation 
dollars never

[[Page E1412]]

reach. It is the NEA funds that attract other moneys in these otherwise 
neglected areas of our country.
  Since its inception in 1965, the number of symphony orchestras has 
quadrupled, the number of theaters has increased eight times, and the 
number of dance companies has gone from 37 to over 250. Each year, the 
Arts Endowment opens the door to the arts for millions of 
schoolchildren, including many at-risk youth.
  The arts make an extraordinary contribution to the lives of our 
citizens. Not only do they improve the quality of life, but they are 
also a significant industry and powerful force in the economic 
development of our cities, towns, and communities. They contribute far 
more to the economy than they receive in public funding. The not-for-
profit arts create $37 billion in economic activity, $634 million in my 
home State of Maryland alone. This economic activity supports 1.3 
million jobs nationwide. As a result, $3.4 billion--20 times the budget 
of the NEA--is returned to the Federal treasury through income taxes.

  The few isolated cases of controversial art work are not an accurate 
representation of the thousands of grants the NEA gives out each year. 
Distorting the truth is a tactic that opponents of the Endowment must 
engage in because their view is contrary to public opinion. A recent 
Lou Harris poll indicates that 61 percent of Americans ``would be 
willing to pay $5 more per year in taxes to support Federal Government 
efforts in the arts.''
  But the voice of the American people often falls on deaf ears here on 
Capitol Hill. A diversity of opinions, a marketplace of ideas--those 
are the ideals upon which this country was founded. Must we burn the 
entire orchard if there are a few apples that are not to our liking?
  Join me to help lend a voice to the painters and the sculptors, the 
singers and the musicians and the actors--the artists of this country. 
Join me in saving the National Endowment for the Arts. Join me in 
saving the spirit of this Nation. Esteemed colleagues, I urge you to 
join me in opposing this rule.

                          ____________________