madam chairman , i rise in support of the slaughter/shays/dicks/leach/price amendment for increased funding for the national endowment for the humanities and the national endowment for the arts . 
as co-chair of the newly established congressional humanities caucus , i am pleased to support this amendment which will in particular increase funding for neh 's we the people program by $ 5 million . 
we the people is an agency-wide program focused on examining and understanding significant events and themes in our nation 's history . 
an additional $ 5 million will enable we the people to support teacher seminars and institutes with new content focusing on american history and civics , media projects focusing on key people and events in american history , and preservation projects that preserve and provide access to important historical documents and artifacts that are central to america 's historical and cultural heritage . 
we ought to do more , but this modest funding increase will help . 
it will aid neh 's efforts to conserve and nurture america 's heritage , bring humanities to communities across this country , and educate the next generation of americans . 
i encourage my colleagues to support this amendment . 
