madam chairman , i rise in strong support of the amendment to increase funding for the nea and the neh . 
without this amendment , the continued flat funding the president requested this year will really amount to another cut . 
i wish we could return to the days of the first president bush when the arts were funded at $ 175 million . 
the amount we are asking for today amounts to little more than a comma in the budget , a rounding error when compared to federal spending in other areas such as defense . 
whether it is the educational value , the cultural enrichment , or the substantial economic windfall the arts and humanities create , the nea and the neh are two of the best investments this nation makes . 
when we shortchange the nea , we ignore the $ 134 billion in business that the arts generate , the 4.8 million jobs , the $ 89.4 billion in household income , and the $ 25 billion in tax revenues . 
a recent rand study noted the importance of the intrinsic benefit of the arts for individuals and communities . 
this modest amount asks only to restore the funding level the house supported last year , but that was stripped during conference . 
it is the very least we should do today . 
i urge my colleagues to support this amendment and to vote against any attempts to slash funding from the arts and humanities that may be offered in other amendments . 
