Trump wants to abolish National Endowment for the Arts

The Trump administration’s new budget plan recommends closing the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH).

Both NEA and NEH appear in a section of the budget focused on reducing or phasing out smaller federal offices. The administration described the proposed cuts as part of an ongoing effort to limit the size of government, improve efficiency and reduce federal spending. Similar proposals were put forward in past years but were not adopted by Congress.

“The Budget includes the elimination of, or the elimination of Federal funding for, the following small agencies—consistent with the President’s efforts to decrease the size of the Federal Government to enhance accountability, reduce waste, and reduce unnecessary governmental entities. Past Trump Administration Budgets have also supported these eliminations. Remaining funds account for costs of orderly shutdowns,” the document reads.

In addition to the NEA and NEH, the Trump administration’s budget proposal includes funding reductions or eliminations for several other agencies. These include the 400 Years of African American History Commission, the Corporation for National and Community Service (operating as AmeriCorps), and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. The proposal also targets the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service and the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

Trump moved to slash more than $160 billion from non-defense spending in his fiscal year 2026 budget proposal, targeting government programs he says promote radical ideologies. In a letter to Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Susan Collins, Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought said the administration’s proposed cuts aim to eliminate funding for “niche non-governmental organizations and academic institutions” that push gender and climate agendas he called “antithetical to the American way of life.”

“We also considered, for each program, whether the governmental service provided could be provided better by State or local governments (if provided at all). Just as the Federal Government has intruded on matters best left to American families, it has intruded on matters best left to the levels of government closest to the people, who understand and respect the needs and desires of their communities far better than the Federal Government ever could,” Vought wrote.

Collins pushed back in a statement to the Daily Caller News Foundation on Friday, criticizing the proposal as tardy and raising “serious objections” to key elements of the plan.

“Ultimately, it is Congress that holds the power of the purse,” Collins wrote.

The NEA and NEH both did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s requests for comment.

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