Representative Scott Perry, a Republican from Pennsylvania, has proposed two amendments to the House Interior Appropriations bill (H.R. 4821) that would eliminate all funding for the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). 

It appears that the bill is being considered today.

The National Humanities Alliance is urging people to vocally oppose the funding cuts, and have created an online template to make it easy for you to contact your representative to do so, here. The template contains a modifiable email, the text of which reads:

As a constituent, I am writing to urge you to vote against Representative Perry’s proposed amendment (#250) to the FY 2024 Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act (H.R. 4821) that would eliminate funding for the National Endowment for the Humanities.

The NEH was established in 1965 in recognition of the unique role the humanities play in helping U.S. citizens develop the wisdom, vision, and knowledge required to participate in a thriving democracy. Today, the NEH continues to support the work of humanities councils, museums, libraries, and universities to preserve and explore local history and traditions; promote understanding among diverse communities; and foster a sense of our common ideals, enduring civic values, and shared cultural heritage.

NEH-funded summer institutes and seminars for K-12 educators provide teachers with a deeper understanding of history and culture, while helping them develop new teaching methods. In the past five years alone, these programs have reached more than 11,000 teachers, ultimately enriching the classroom experience for an estimated 2 million students.

The NEH continues its crucial work to support veterans through reading groups that help them process their experiences in discussions of literature on experiences of war and homecoming, writing programs for veterans suffering from PTSD, intensive college-preparation programs, and training for Veterans Affairs staff to help them understand the experiences of veterans. The NEH also plays an essential role in saving cultural heritage from natural disasters through trainings for staff at cultural institutions and emergency grants when disaster hits.

While I appreciate the difficult budgetary decisions ahead, I strongly believe that the NEH must be a high priority.

Thank you for your consideration.

President Biden has said he would veto the bill, should it pass,