Oppose Budget Cuts to the National Archives and Elimination of the NHPRC!
The House Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Subcommittee may take up the Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 appropriations bill funding the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) and National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) as soon as the week of May 6. The Trump administration has proposed major cuts to the National Archives and the elimination of the NHPRC!
It is vitally important that you contact the members of the House Appropriations Committee TODAY and ask them to provide the National Archives with $410 million for its operating expenses and that Congress not eliminate the NHPRC and fund it at $10 million for FY 20.
Working with our colleagues at the National Humanities Alliance, you can quickly send a pre-written electronic message to your representative by clicking here.
You can also send your own personalized letter or call your Representative. Here is a link to the House Appropriations Committee Members. It takes you to each Representative’s website which provides their email address and phone number. Try to personalize your call or e-mail with an appeal that highlights the impact the National Archives and/or NHPRC grants have on your own work, your institution, and/or your congressional district and state. Each contact will make a difference. It is imperative that we make the voices of the historical and archives communities heard loud and clear. We can make a difference only if we take action now!
Initial action on an agency’s budget is a two-step process. The full House Appropriations Committee will likely consider the bill a day or so after the FS&GG Subcommittee markup. So time is of the essence.
Contacts:
House Financial Services & General Government Appropriations Subcommittee (jurisdiction over NARA and NHPRC budgets). https://appropriations.house.gov/subcommittees/financial-services-and-general-government-116th-congress
House Appropriations Committee: https://appropriations.house.gov/about/membership
Find your Representative by Zip Code: https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative
US Capitol Switchboard (All Members of Congress can be reached via this number) 202-224-3121