Similar to a "blueprint" set forth in March, President Donald Trump's official 2018 budget proposal released Tuesday would shutter the National Endowment for the Arts and National Endowment for the Humanities with $29 million to wind down the programs. The NEH chairman resigned on Monday.

A long budget process is ahead. (In contrast to Trump's plan, Congress already gave $150 million each for the NEA and NEH from the $1 trillion budget to fund the government through the current fiscal year, ending Sept. 30. The amount was a $2 million increase for each program.)

Funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting ($445 million) would also be eliminated in Trump's plan with just $30.45 million in FY 2018 left for ending operations.

The arts, science, education, environmental protection, health (Medicaid), a wide swath of domestic programs, and foreign aid, took the biggest hits in the proposal that adds $469 billion in defense spending over ten years.

The plan, called "A New Foundation for American Greatness," aims to cut federal spending by $3.6 trillion over the next decade; yet, economists and media outlets have already weighed in that the plan will likely add trillions to the national debt. The cuts include withdrawing $1.7 trillion from federal anti-poverty programs in ten years. 

Trump's budget proposal for FY1 2018, which begins Oct. 1, will head to Congress. Contact your congressional representative to support the NEA, and other programs in the proposed budget cuts: http://www.house.gov/representatives/find/