Arts, Culture, Religion Bills

Defund National Endowment for the Humanities Act of 2025

Sponsored by Andy Biggs

The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), established under the National Foundation on the Arts and Humanities Act of 1965, currently operates with broad authority to award grants and support humanities programs across the country. Section 7 of that 1965 law specifically authorizes NEH to make grants to individuals, groups, and institutions for projects that advance knowledge and understanding in fields like history, literature, philosophy, and cultural studies. These grants have funded everything from documentary films to university research to community cultural programs. The NEH operates with annual appropriations from Congress and distributes funding through a competitive grant process. This bill prohibits the National Endowment for the Humanities from using any of its appropriated funds to carry out Section 7 of the National Foundation on the Arts and Humanities Act of 1965. In practical terms, this means NEH would be barred from awarding grants under the authority granted by that section. The bill does not eliminate NEH entirely or reduce its budget; rather, it creates a spending restriction that prevents the agency from deploying its funds for the specific grant-making activities authorized under Section 7. The restriction applies to all future fiscal years following enactment. The restriction takes effect on the first day of the first fiscal year beginning after the bill becomes law. If enacted, NEH would need to cease accepting new grant applications and stop distributing funds under Section 7 authority immediately upon that date. Existing grants already awarded would likely continue through their completion, but no new funding cycles would begin. The bill does not specify what happens to unobligated funds or whether NEH could redirect resources to other authorized activities. The downstream effect would be the elimination of a major federal funding stream for humanities research, cultural programming, and educational initiatives that currently operate nationwide through NEH's grant system.