[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 125 (Friday, August 19, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1523]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 OPPOSING EFFORTS TO CUT THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE HUMANITIES AND 
                  THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. DANNY K. DAVIS

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, August 19, 2011

  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, although we must fix the economic 
problems America now faces, we cannot afford to obliterate important 
programs that educate and expose our citizens young and old to American 
culture. Our minimal investments in the National Endowment for the 
Humanities and the National Endowment for the Arts yield large 
community benefits and must be protected. For this reason, I oppose the 
severe cuts proposed to these key programs via the FY12 Interior, 
Environment, and Related Agencies bill.
  The programs supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities, 
or NEH, benefit millions of Americans each year. Last year, NEH made 
over 1,200 grants totaling $143 million that benefited communities 
throughout our Nation--communities big and small, urban and rural. For 
example, over 4,300 college, community college, and school teachers 
benefited from education programs supported by NEH. Almost 22,000 
citizens from museums, libraries, archives, and historical 
organizations obtained training in appropriate preservation and ways to 
expand public access to humanities collections. Approximately 35 
million people benefited from 24 television and radio projects funded 
by NEH that produced 88 broadcast hours of programming related to arts 
and humanities.
  My State of Illinois and my Congressional District have received 
vital support from NEH funds as well. These funds allowed cultural 
institutions to leverage their dollars to educate the public more 
broadly than would have been possible without these funds. From getting 
a grant to help expand the Hull-House Museum to the Illinois Meaning of 
Service program that works with thousands of young people to help them 
understand the nature and rewards of volunteerism. An NEH grant is 
contributing to the digitization of the papers of Abraham Lincoln so 
that these important historical documents are available to the Nation, 
not just to those in driving distance of Springfield. My constituents 
rely on these programs for education and cultural awareness. Especially 
during hard economic times when travel and vacations are not possible, 
the programming supported by the NEH provides significant educational 
resources for Americans.
  Cutting funds to NEH will negatively affect our citizens, not help 
them. It is a unique source of funding for a wide range of local non-
profit institutions and organizations across the country. NEH has 
already experienced dramatic funding cuts; slashing this program more 
will directly curtail programs and projects in millions of communities 
for minimal deficit reduction, which means jobs will be lost, services 
will be gone, and local communities will lose educational 
opportunities. So I urge my colleagues to oppose provisions that would 
cut the National Endowment for the Humanities or the National Endowment 
for the Arts any further.

                          ____________________