President Releases FY 2009 Budget


President Releases FY 2009 Budget - President Bush sent his FY 2009 budget request to Congress, beginning the yearly appropriations process for the nation's cultural agencies and programs, including the National Endowment for the Arts, National Endowment for the Humanities, Office of Museum Services, Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and the Department of Education's Arts in Education programs. On the heels of signing the largest Congressionally initiated funding increase for the arts in 28 years, President Bush has proposed a $16.3 million cut for FY 2009 for the NEA—from $144.7 million to $128.4 million. For the eighth consecutive year, the president's budget has eliminated funding for the Department of Education's Arts in Education programs. The FY 2009 budget request also calls for a rescission of $200 million in already-approved funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. On a positive note, the president requested a funding boost of over $8 million for the Office of Museum Services, bringing the amount of funding available for grants to almost $40 million. Write your Members of Congress and urge them to support increased funding for the arts. You can also read Americans for the Arts President and CEO Bob Lynch's statement on the president's proposed budget. [National News]