Flattening Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood
Donald Trump said he plans to eliminate all spending for the National Endowment for the Arts, the National endowment for Humanities, and for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. What portion of the entire US budget is spent on these three agencies?
Washington Post
Can you see the tiny blue line running through the middle of the pie chart above? That's the amount that gets spent on these three agencies. Let's look at this another way. If you were at Thanksgiving and demanded a slice of pecan pie proportionate to 2016 NEA spending relative to the federal budget, you'd end up with a piece of pie that would need to be sliced off with a finely-tuned laser. Put another way, if you make $50,000 a year, spending the equivalent of what the government spends on these three programs would be like spending less than $10. Here's another chart that focuses on the NEA budget as a % of total U.S. federal spending.
How accurate was your prediction?
How different do you think your prediction would be from the average American's?
What most surprised you about this data?
Describe one negative consequence of cutting the entire budget of the National Endowment for the Arts, the National endowment for Humanities, and for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting:
Describe one positive consequence of cutting the entire budget of the National Endowment for the Arts, the National endowment for Humanities, and for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting:
Why do you think Donald Trump is proposing the total elimination of the National Endowment for the Arts, the National endowment for Humanities, and for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting?
What other institution of the US government gets to decide on the US budget?
Do you believe the US government will actually completely eliminate the National Endowment for the Arts, the National endowment for Humanities, and for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting?
How does the budget for the National Endowment for the Arts, the National endowment for Humanities, and for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting compare to federal budgetary spending on other agencies and departments?*
If you really wanted to make major cuts to US government spending, what would be a better place to begin?
Imagine you were the head of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, in charge of a large portion of the funding of PBS, NPR, and other institutions. What methods would you use to try to stop your agency from being eliminated? Do you personally think there is a value in government spending for the National Endowment for the Arts, the National endowment for Humanities, and for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting?
If you were the POTUS, would you recommend eliminating the National Endowment for the Arts, the National endowment for Humanities, and for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting?
Learning Extension
Read this short and sweet Washington Post article on the proposal for the elimination of the National Endowment for the Arts, the National endowment for Humanities, and for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. And if you want a deeper dive into the budget, here's an interactive look at the winners and losers in the Trump budget.
Action Extension
Contact your US Congressional Representative and urge them to support the total elimination of the National Endowment for the Arts, the National endowment for Humanities, and for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Or ask them to keep these agencies in our budget.
