In his FY2020 Executive Budget Proposal, President Trump is calling for the elimination of the National Endowment for the Arts (as well as the National Endowment for the Humanities and Corporation for Public Broadcasting).
The budget notes provide the following justification for the elimination of the agency: “The Administration does not consider NEA activities to be core Federal responsibilities.”
This is the third year in a row the President has called for eliminating the federal arts agency, which just celebrated its 50th Anniversary in 2017. The NEA’s $155 million budget amounts to 0.004% of the federal budget (discretionary spending), while representing a creative industry that contributes $769 billion to the US economy (4.2% of the nation’s GDP).
It is important to note that the President’s recommendations are only a proposal and statement of priorities for the Executive Branch. Congress ultimately creates, appropriates, and approves the federal budget. Since 2016, Congress has adopted an increase of $9 million for the NEA – with the last $2 million of that coming in the budget deal signed by the President in February.
Below is a breakdown of the President’s proposed funding levels of all cultural agencies:
| Key Federally Funded Arts Agency | President Trump’s FY 2018 Budget Proposal | Final FY 2018 Funding | President Trump’s FY 2019 Budget Proposal | Final FY 2019 Funding | President Trump’s FY 2020 Budget Proposal |
| National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) | Termination | $152.80 million | Termination | $155 million | Termination |
| National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) | Termination | $152.80 million | Termination | $155 million | Termination |
| Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) | Termination | $240 million | Termination | $242 million | Termination |
| Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) | Termination | $445 million | Termination | $445 million | Termination |
