Before the 4th of July passes, House members will begin building a tomorrow with or without crucial federal programs that support the work of our history community. I urge you to email Congress this week to speak up for the programs and agencies on the chopping block. In my 25 years in the field, I cannot recall a moment when so much in history, humanities, and museums has been threatened. Please send an email today as laid out below by the National Coalition for History.
–John Dichtl, AASLH President & CEO
On May 23, President Trump sent his proposed fiscal year (FY) 2018 budget request to Congress. As expected, it included devastating cuts to federal history and humanities funding including elimination of the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC), and Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS).
House Appropriations Committee subcommittees will be drafting their spending bills between now and the end of June. So it is critical for you to contact your Members of Congress today in support of these federal programs that are vital to our community!
This year we are urging you to send your messages to Congress via email. The volume of calls congressional offices have received has grown exponentially since January and often the voicemail of staffers are full, making it difficult to leave messages.
Our colleagues at the National Humanities Alliance have created a legislative action center that allows you to send multiple emails to Congress on NEH, NHRPC, IMLS and education funding from a single website. Each alert includes a pre-written letter that you can personalize or send as is. The system uses your zip code to identify your House member and Senators automatically. Here is the link: http://p2a.co/kVFEeav
If you prefer to make a phone call, Members of Congress can be reached through the U.S. Capitol switchboard at (202)224-3121. We suggest you use the letters found at the NHA’s action center as talking points. You can find your representative by going to the House website at http://www.house.gov. The system allows you to search for them using your zip code. To find your Senators go to http://www.senate.gov/.
Please personalize your message as to your background or interest in history. If you are employed in the field, mention the institution where you work in your state and congressional district.
Never before have federal history and archival programs been under attack to this extent. Members of Congress are under tremendous pressure to hold the line on spending, so you must make your voices heard today!
