Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Small NEA Increase in Obama Administration Budget Proposal

Today we received the first report on President Obama's plans for the 2010 NEA appropriation, and it's a disappointment: a $6 million increase, according to The New York Times. Further, the President has apparently still not made any progress in selecting a new Chair of the NEA--the federal government's top arts post. Yes...he has a lot on his plate, but this small increase still does not restore NEA funding to its peak in 1992, when the "arts wars" began. Hopefully, Congress will boost that number as the budget process moves forward--after all, they came to the rescue with $50 million in the stimulus package and a $10 million increase for 2009.

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