Pelosi: The National Endowment of the Arts Is a ‘Jobs Creator’

EXCERPT:

PELOSI: "Let me just say this about the arts. I think that one of the forces for unity in our country are the arts. It’s something that brings us together. We laugh together, we cry together, we’re inspired together, we listen to the music. It’s a cultural export for our country. The money that we spend on the national endowment is so minuscule compared to our national budget. It’s like a hair on my head. It’s very small. And it is — but it is a very good investment. And I -- I just think it's a — in terms of supporting the arts, yes and arts in the school. Any place you go in the country, especially in some of our poorer areas, the parents will say, keep the arts in the school. That’s what gives our children confidence. They enjoy it. They learn what they can achieve. They have success it enables them to feel confident when they go into other -- other studies. So well it is for the self-esteem and the fulfillment of our children, the unity of our country, arts are very important. I think that it’s — I don’t think it will stand. We’ll fight that. Yeah. And it’s about jobs. People don’t ever think of it, but arts are an economic developer. Many, many jobs are created by investments in the art."