US Elections and Culture: Candidates' Stances on Arts Funding

While cultural issues rarely decide US elections, over five million Americans work in the cultural sector (2019 NEA data), and the pandemic threatens the industry's survival. This article examines the positions of the 2020 presidential candidates—Donald Trump and Mike Pence (Republican) and Joe Biden and Kamala Harris (Democrat)—on arts and culture. Trump's administration proposed massive cuts to the NEA and IMLS for four consecutive years, though Congress blocked them. A 2018 tax reform eliminated deductions for artists' work-related expenses. Biden has consistently opposed Republican efforts to cut public arts funding, voting against NEA privatization in 1997 and supporting the National Museum of African American History and Culture and a proposed National Museum of the American Latino. Pence has little cultural record; his notable encounter was a 2016 Broadway performance of Hamilton where cast members addressed him directly. Harris, as California's district attorney and senator, supported minority cultural initiatives, served on the board of SFMOMA, and backs the Latino museum. The article notes that the 2021 budget remains unapproved amid COVID-19 and elections.