Wednesday, January 25, 2017

Action Alert! Tell Congress You Oppose Elimination of NEH

Published January 25, 2017

News broke on January 19 that the Trump Administration is considering elimination of the National Endowment for the Humanities, along with other cultural agencies. Normally ASEEES tries to limit its advocacy alerts to issues that are related directly to Slavic, East European and Eurasian studies, but the very existence of the NEH is under threat and we must take action. The humanities community, led by the National Humanities Alliance (NHA), has built considerable support in Congress over the years, and we must let members of Congress and the White House know we strongly support federal funding for the humanities and oppose elimination of the NEH. More detail about what is happening and why it is essential to contact your representatives now can be found here.

You can take action via the NHA. You have the option to call your representatives and the White House (the more effective method), or if you prefer not to call, to email them.

The NHA provides the following script for the call (it is important to keep the call to just a few minutes):

Hello,

Thank you for taking my call! I’m a constituent from [city/town] and I am calling to express my support for the National Endowment for the Humanities. I have been concerned by reports in the news that President Trump is considering a proposal to eliminate the NEH. If he does I hope that the Representative/Senator will do everything they can to oppose it.

Do you know what the Representative/Senator’s position is on NEH?

Possible Talking Points:

• Share your experience with the agency!
• NEH grants are critical for encouraging private financing of projects. Challenge Grants, for example, have been leveraged at a 3:1 ratio, while State Council grants are leveraged at a 5:1 ratio and Public Programs at an 8:1 ratio.
• NEH grants are highly competitive, funding less than 16% of peer-reviewed grant applications.
• NEH’s Standing Together initiative supports veterans and their families in the transition back to civilian life, and promotes public understanding of the military experience for all Americans.
• NEH-supported humanities councils provide continuing education and family litteracy programs in every state in the country.

On behalf of the ASEEES Executive Committee, I thank you for your efforts.

Lynda Park
Executive Director