Obama to Restore Federal Arts Spending for Coming Fiscal Year

President Obama’s budget proposal will increase federal arts spending by 10 percent from its current level, a move that goes beyond restoring the cuts that went into effect last month in the “budget sequestration” bill, reports Mike Boehm of the Los Angeles Times. Last month, three federal cultural grant-making agencies as well as the Smithsonian Institution, the National Gallery of Art, and the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts faced cuts that lowered their combined spending from $1.51 billion to $1.44 billion. Obama’s budget for the coming fiscal year will not only restore those cuts but also provide an additional 4.5 percent increase above pre-sequestration funding.