Despite Trump’s Call for Their Closure, House Approves Funding for National Endowments for the Arts and Humanities

The U.S. House of Representatives last week passed a budget proposal that, among other things, funds both the National Endowment for the Arts and National Endowment for the Humanities at levels essentially consistent with last year’s appropriations – $207 million for each.

The bill comes less than a year after President Trump called for the dissolution of both agencies, among others, in a “blueprint” for his administration’s budget, as the New York Times reported last May. Trump also called for the shuttering of the NEA and NEH in 2017, but was stymied by Congress’ bipartisan support of the agencies. The House rejected a proposal to cut NEA funding in 2018.

The bill now moves to the Senate for approval.

It’s worth noting that the political composition of Congress in 2026 is similar to what it was in 2017. This year there are 53 Republicans in the Senate, 45 Democrats and 2 Independents; in 2018 those numbers were 51 Republicans, 47 Democrats and 2 Independents. In the House this year there are 219 Republicans, 212 Democrats and 4 vacancies; in 2018, there were 238 Republicans, 201 Democrats and 5 vacancies. Last year, Trump vetoed two bills; he vetoed ten bills during the entirety of his first term.

In March 2025, the NEH announced it would be adhering to new guidelines set within the flurry of Executive Orders that Trump issued after his second inauguration, stipulating the removal of “support for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) or diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) initiatives and activities.” 

In April, the agency announced that grants would be “awarded to projects that do not promote extreme ideologies based upon race or gender, and that help to instill an understanding of the founding principles and ideals that make America an exceptional country.” 

Many of the grants announced last year centered on those priorities, including money for “Statues of Iconic Americans,” grants for “Museums and Historic Sites on the History of American Excellence” and increasing access to foundational and historical documents.

The legislation responsible for establishing the NEA and NEH reads, in part, that “Americans should receive in school, background and preparation in the arts and humanities to enable them to recognize and appreciate the aesthetic dimensions of our lives, the diversity of excellence that comprises our cultural heritage, and artistic and scholarly expression.”

The NEA, responsible for the yearly Jazz Master Fellowship – considered by many to be the pinnacle of recognition for the art form – announced in December that it was appointing Mary Anne Carter as its chairperson; Carter served in the same role during Trump’s first term.

The current administration recently alienated some musicians after its attempted renaming of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, causing several cancellations.