MTNA Statement on the National Endowment for the Arts

President Trump recently submitted a budget to Congress that includes a proposal to eliminate funding for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). The Board of Directors of Music Teachers National Association has deep concerns about this proposal; if it is enacted, the elimination of the NEA and NEH will have dire consequences for every state. For a synopsis of what's at stake in the arts, please see National Assembly of State Arts Agencies Statement on Proposed Elimination of the NEA.

If you feel that the NEA and NEH are important to our country, this is the time to contact your representatives in Congress. Their votes will determine the final outcome.

Here is what you can do:

  • Contact your House and Senate delegations. Urge them to oppose the President's request and provide full funding for the NEA and NEH.
  • See if your state is represented on either the House Interior Appropriations Subcommittee or the Senate Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies. If so, your outreach to these committee members will be especially influential.
  • Remind your delegation that 40% of the grant dollars appropriated to the NEA go to states and regions. These funds address state priorities. Rural and low-income areas would be disproportionally hurt by the elimination of the agency.

The MTNA Board believes that the arts and humanities are a fundamental part of American life and that continued funding of the NEA and NEH is vital.

Rebecca Grooms Johnson, NCTM, President
Scott McBride Smith, NCTM, President-elect
Karen Thickstun, NCTM, Vice President
Sylvia Coats, NCTM, Secretary-Treasurer
Kenneth Christensen, NCTM, Immediate Past President
Gary L. Ingle, Executive Director & CEO
Christine Steiner, NCTM, East Central Division Director
Ginger Yang Hwalek, NCTM, Eastern Division Director
Christopher C. Hahn, NCTM, Northwest Division Director
Sherry P. Frush, NCTM, South Central Division Director
Kevin Chance, NCTM, Southern Division Director
Sue Field, Southwest Division Director
Beth Gigante Klingenstein, NCTM, West Central Division Director