1. United States
2. Fla.
3. Letter

With the mass exodus of senior leaders and staff from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), the Trump administration is effectively dismantling this vital cultural institution. The arts are not a luxury - they are essential to the vibrancy and expression of any society. By terminating over 50% of open NEA grants, many organizations providing crucial arts programming and education, especially in underserved communities, now face an existential threat. This assault on the arts is unacceptable. The NEA has long enjoyed bipartisan support from Congress, reflecting the value Americans place on creativity and cultural enrichment. I urge you to take immediate action to halt the administration's efforts to defund and shut down the NEA. Robust funding must be restored to protect this irreplaceable national resource and the diverse voices it elevates. The administration's redirection of NEA funds to politically-charged initiatives like the National Garden of American Heroes is an abuse of the agency's nonpartisan mission. Please stand up for the arts and prevent this administration from depriving Americans of the transformative perspectives and experiences the arts provide.