1. United States
2. Va.
3. Letter

The proposed cuts to the National Endowment for the Humanities are deeply concerning and should be reconsidered. The NEH plays a vital role in supporting museums, historical sites, scholarship, and cultural preservation efforts across the nation. Its grants facilitate invaluable projects that document our shared history, promote understanding between communities, and enrich our society. Reducing the NEH's staff by up to 80% and canceling grants would be a devastating blow to the humanities. It would undermine important work happening at institutions like the Louis Armstrong House Museum, the Yiddish Book Center, and efforts to record the impacts of the Lahaina wildfire. These are precisely the kinds of projects that preserve American stories and cultural heritage for future generations. Rather than dismantling the NEH, we should be investing more in its mission. The humanities help us make sense of our past, present, and future as a nation. They foster critical thinking, empathy, and an appreciation for diverse perspectives - qualities essential for an informed citizenry. Starving these pursuits of funding would impoverish us all. I urge you to protect the National Endowment for the Humanities and its grants programs. The humanities are not a luxury; they are central to understanding who we are as a people. Preserving and promoting that knowledge should be a priority, not an austerity target. Our cultural legacy is too precious to neglect.