Yesterday afternoon, the Senate Appropriations Committee released two bills that propose boosts or level funding for a variety of humanities programs. The 2018 bill funding the Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies included appropriations for the National Endowment for the Humanities and the National Endowment for the Arts, both of which were funded at $149.8. This is the same funding level the NEH and the NEA received for FY 2017, and it represents a forceful rejection of the administration’s call to eliminate the agencies.

In introducing the Interior bill, Ranking Member Senator Tom Udall (D-NM) thanked Chairman Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) for working “with me and other members on both sides of the aisle to reject the president’s disastrous proposal to eliminate the National Endowment for the Arts and National Endowment for the Humanities and maintain level funding for each of the endowments.”   

The House passed an appropriations bill in September that also rejected the administration’s proposal to eliminate funding for the NEH and provided $145 million for FY 2018. Once the Senate passes the appropriations bill, the House and Senate will have to reconcile the two numbers. Given the support we have heard from House appropriators in recent months, we are hopeful that the higher number will win out.

The Senate Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies bill held more good news for the humanities. It included level funding for the Woodrow Wilson Center ($10.5 million) whereas the House appropriations bill approved $10 million.

The Senate Appropriations Committee also released the Financial Services and General Government bill, which included $6 million for the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC), the same amount as FY 2017 and an improvement from the House bill’s $4 million. It is heartening to see the Senate committee not only reject the administration’s call to eliminate funding for the NHPRC but also the House’s more modest proposal.

Click here for a full funding chart.

The government is currently operating under a continuing resolution, which funds the government at FY 2017 levels and is set to expire on December 8th. In the coming weeks, we will see whether Congress can reach an agreement on overall spending levels or whether we will see another continuing resolution. We will keep you updated on the progress and let you know when your voice can make a difference.

Thank you for your tremendous advocacy this year!