[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 50 (Wednesday, March 22, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E363]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS AND ITS IMPACT IN THE THIRTIETH 
                           DISTRICT OF TEXAS

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                       HON. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, March 22, 2017

  Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, the National 
Endowment for the Arts was established in 1965 as an investment in our 
shared culture as a nation. President Lyndon Johnson at the signing 
ceremony for the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act 
stated that ``In the long history of man, countless empires and nations 
have come and gone. Those which created no lasting works of art are 
reduced today to short footnotes in history's catalog.'' I could not 
agree with this statement more.
  Over the past five years, the NEA has provided grants totaling more 
than $1.4 million to local artists and organizations within the 
thirtieth district of Texas. In return, these artists and organizations 
have shared their unique forms of expression throughout the region by 
creating programs focused on uniting communities around art, bringing 
arts awareness to underserved areas, and strengthening arts education 
programs in our local schools.
  In his first budget request, the President has proposed to eliminate 
the NEA. I believe the elimination of this agency would be a grave 
mistake that would have a negative economic, educational, and cultural 
impact on countless urban and rural communities across the country.
  Programs such as the Dallas City of Learning, which provides a summer 
education program for more than 35,000 students, would not be as 
successful as they are today without support from the NEA. Countless 
performances, exhibitions, and festivals would be affected by this 
disastrous policy proposal.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today to strongly oppose the President's budget 
proposal which calls for eliminating funding to the National Endowment 
for the Arts. We must ensure that arts programs across the country are 
funded so that future generations will understand the culture of our 
time instead of this great period being a mere footnote in history.

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