Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), a long time supporter of the National Endowment for the Arts, is joining with her colleagues to repel the misguided Republican leadership's assault on the NEA. "It is a sad commentary when the richest nation on earth threatens to eliminate an endowment that makes such a great contribution to our country's vitality," Pelosi said.
Rep. Pelosi is a supporter of the Yates Amendment which would restore NEA's funding to the 1997 levels. "I challenge the GOP leadership to allow the amendment to come to the floor and stop playing politics with an agency that has the overwhelming support of the American people." She also disputed the Republican leadership's assertion that the NEA is a drain on the budget. "In fact," Pelosi said, "the federal investment in the NEA more than pays for itself. In addition to supporting 1.3 million full-time jobs, the arts return $3.4 billion in federal income taxes each year."
The Republicans slashed the NEA's budget during the Appropriations Subcommittee on the Interior mark-up, providing only $10 million for the shut down of the agency. The current appropriation for the NEA is $99.5 million.
