President George W. Bush's 2007 budget included no increase in funding for the National Endowment for the Arts. A current Senate bill also offers no NEA increase, and the House of Representatives offered only a $5 million increase for the agency. Congress and the administration's argument that funding is too tight to support the arts is specious at best; in fact, greater support of the arts will yield impressive returns.

According to Americans for the Arts, the nonprofit arts industry (museums, theater companies, performing arts centers, orchestras, dance companies, arts councils and others) generates $24.4 billion in federal, state, and local tax revenues annually. By comparison, federal, state, and local governments combined spend less than $3 billion on support for the arts each year. The financial return on government’s investment in the nonprofit arts is, therefore, more than eight times the investment — annually.

The arts are not only a boon to the economy – a recent study conducted by economists at the Georgia Institute of Technology states that the nonprofit arts industry alone generates $134 billion in economic activity every year – but also a vital part of our children’s education. Arts education is helping to enhance the American workforce of the future. It has been proven to increase students' cognitive development, to motivate and inspire discipline, to enhance confidence and inventiveness, and to hone communication and problem-solving skills. Students with an education rich in the arts have better grade point averages, score better on standardized tests in reading and math, and have lower dropout rates – findings that cut across all socio-economic categories. The Department of Education's Arts in Education funds provide important support for the development of rigorous arts education programs, professional development for arts educators, and the ongoing national arts education initiatives of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and VSA arts.

The arts are a recognized "core subject" under the No Child Left Behind act, and recent studies have shown "critical links" between arts education and reading, writing, mathematics, cognitive skills, motivation, social behavior, and the school environment. The studies suggest that arts education may be especially useful for students who are economically disadvantaged and/or in need of remedial instruction.

The arts attract new dollars in tourism—one of the fastest growing economic markets in our nation today. Sixty-five percent of U.S. travelers include cultural events on their trips.

Public spending on the arts helps position our nation to be competitive globally. America's arts and entertainment are leading exports, with estimates of more than $30 billion annually in overseas sales, including the output of artists and other creative workers in the publishing, audiovisual, music, recording and entertainment businesses.

I hope our supposed tightening of the pursestrings will not blind us to the myriad of developmental possibilities - both educational and financial - that the arts offer.