Congress has unveiled a bipartisan partial funding package that would keep the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) budgets steady at $207 million each, despite President Donald Trump's proposal to eliminate both agencies. The three-bill "minibus" package faces a House vote and then Senate consideration, as the government seeks to avoid another shutdown after last year's record 43-day closure.
This matters because the NEA and NEH have been under persistent threat from the Trump administration since 2017, with proposed eliminations, funding withdrawals, and staff cuts. The bipartisan congressional support that previously protected the agencies is being tested by new challenges, including a 35% budget cut proposal for fiscal 2026 and restrictions on funding for critical race theory and diversity initiatives. The outcome will determine the future of federal arts and humanities funding, which has distributed billions of dollars in grants since 1965.