How Trump's arts funding cuts are impacting Pennsylvania
Why it matters: It's another hit to the performing arts sector — which is recovering from the pandemic and trying to lure audiences back in.
The big picture: Of the more than 400 organizations surveyed, 62% said the funding cuts could force them to postpone or cancel programming, per the report.
About half of those organizations said their attendance levels hadn't returned to pre-pandemic levels.
Zoom in: Many Philly organizations have scrambled to fill budget holes after learning their funding was rescinded from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), which advocates warn could face more cuts.
Philly-based PA Humanities, which supports arts, culture and civic engagement, had its operating grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) terminated this year — a move that cut off 60% of the org's annual budget, Axios Pittsburgh's Chrissy Suttles reports.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration has said the funding cuts are part of a broader effort to reduce what it considers wasteful government spending.
By the numbers: Pennsylvania has received more than $123 million in federal arts funding since 2020 — critical dollars since the state's per-capita spending (91 cents) is significantly less than neighboring states like New Jersey ($4.45), New York ($4.45) and Maryland ($5.63).
Between the lines: The organizations in Pennsylvania's arts and culture sector aren't just sources of entertainment.
Last year, 43% of organizations surveyed said they offered some type of mental-health-related programming, up from 29% in 2023.
What they're saying: The cuts could "erase years of hard-won progress," Patricia Wilson Aden, president and CEO of the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance, tells Axios.
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USA Today
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- USA Today
Trump isn't gutting Medicaid and food stamps. He's fixing our broken welfare system.
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The Intercept
17 minutes ago
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Donald Trump Jr.'s Drone Ventures Could Make a Killing — Thanks to Dad's Big Beautiful Budget
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NBC News
18 minutes ago
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Democratic governors search for a balance between fighting and working with Trump
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Moore is no stranger to fighting with the administration: Most recently, he has accused Trump of denying his state federal disaster assistance for flooding in Maryland in May. Moore said he'd spoken with Walz and Kelly, calling their frustrations 'justified.' But he added that the NGA 'is never going to be either the cheerleader nor the heckler of a federal administration.' Hawaii's Democratic Gov. Josh Green, a physician who has blamed Kennedy for measles outbreaks, said he had a 'valuable' private meeting with the health secretary that lasted an hour. 'I have some deep ideological differences with Secretary Kennedy,' Green said in an interview with NBC News. But he added that creating a collaborative environment with Kennedy and McMahon helped him explain to them why he felt 'things have to happen to protect vulnerable people.' Green said that he and Kennedy discussed how governors could most effectively access the $50 billion rural hospital fund that was included in the massive tax cut and spending bill Trump recently signed into law. 'We can't just walk away, in my opinion,' Green said. 'Even though I'll keep pushing back on any changes to the vaccine schedule … I will also be able to take some advantage of the relationships.' Green also said he had 'deep disagreements' with McMahon, but that he felt it remained important to maintain a dialogue. 'Do I have concerns about working with the secretary of education?' Green said. 'Of course I do, but I would have deeper concerns if there was no one that could speak up for what I feel is about half of the country.' Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, a Democrat whose term as NGA chair ended this weekend, said he invited Kennedy and McMahon in particular because governors had expressed to him that health care and education were two of the top issues they wanted to address during the event. 'I think these times call for the kind of bipartisan work of the NGA more than ever before. The American people want progress,' Polis said. 'And that only comes when the politicians stop fighting over their party labels and work together to achieve real outcomes that actually matter in people's lives.' Disagreements remain Democratic governors still made their disagreements with Republicans clear at the summit. New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy was among several Democratic governors to lambast the 'big, beautiful bill' and its cuts to Medicaid and food assistance. And a cadre of Democratic governors slammed Texas Republicans' plans to redraw its congressional maps ahead of schedule in an effort to help the GOP protect its narrow House majority in next year's midterm elections. In an emailed statement in response to questions from NBC News, NGA spokesperson Eric Wohlschlegel said that 'the record participation and support of NGA isn't because governors avoid tough topics; it's because NGA is one of the few places where they can cut through the noise and collectively focus on what works.' 'It's critical in a political climate where so many issues become zero-sum fights, NGA provides something increasingly rare: a forum for real, results-driven, bipartisan problem-solving. That's why governors keep showing up,' Wohlschlegel added. Green, Hawaii's governor, said that approach paid off — even though 'sometimes it gives me heartburn.'
