Attorney General Ford Joins Multistate Legal Effort to Restore Funding for Humanities Programs Across the Country

Carson City, NV — Today, Nevada Attorney General Aaron D. Ford announced he has joined a coalition of states in urging a federal court to stop the Trump administration from gutting federal support for public humanities programs that serve communities nationwide. The coalition filed an amicus brief backing a lawsuit that challenges the National Endowment for the Humanities’ (NEH) abrupt cancellation of critical support for state humanities

"This is not just an unconstitutional and unlawful overreach of federal power; it is an attack on civic life that strengthens our communities and our democracy," said AG Ford. "I stand with my colleagues in defending these critical areas of society, ensuring that Nevadans continue to have access to the humanities, which are essential for fostering an engaged public and thriving society."

The NEH’s “Fed/State Partnership” program — funded every year since 1972 — was designed by Congress to ensure every state has access to high-quality, community-based humanities programming. But earlier this year, the NEH suddenly drastically reduced support for state humanities councils, forcing the councils to cancel programs; furlough staff; and scale back or eliminate educational offerings.

The amicus brief, filed in the United States District Court for the District of Oregon, argues that the administration’s actions:

• Violate federal law by ignoring Congress’s statutory mandate to fund state humanities councils and by failing to follow required procedures for terminating grants. 
• Overstep constitutional boundaries, infringing on Congress’s power of the purse and violating the separation of powers and the Take Care Clause. 
• Cause irreparable harm to state councils as well as local organizations, schools, and libraries that depend on NEH funding to deliver programs in civic education, cultural heritage, history, literature and more.

The executive director of Nevada Humanities said to the Reno Gazette-Journal in April that the council is “fighting for its survival” due to the cuts in federal funding.

A hearing on the motion for preliminary injunction is scheduled for August 4 at 9 a.m. at the federal courthouse in Portland, Oregon.

AG Ford joins the co-lead attorneys general of Maryland, Oregon and Washington in filing this amicus brief, as well as the attorneys general of Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Maine, Michigan, New Mexico, Rhode Island, Wisconsin and Vermont.

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