Sequester Hits The Smithsonian: Gallery Closures Planned Due To Federal Budget Cuts

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WASHINGTON — Budget cuts from Congress will soon reduce the number of free exhibitions on view each day at the Smithsonian Institution and will force unpaid leave for U.S. Park Police officers who guard the nation's monuments in Washington, New York City and elsewhere, agency officials told Congress on Tuesday.

The House Government Oversight and Reform committee met for about three hours to hear the impact of across-the-board budget cuts on the nation's treasures at the Smithsonian, National Archives and National Park Service.

Smithsonian Secretary Wayne Clough testified that the museum complex had made administrative cuts but must now reduce its security contract for gallery attendants because of the budget cuts. As a result, the Smithsonian can't keep all galleries open at once and will begin rolling gallery closures after May 1.

MORE:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/16/sequester-smithsonian_n_3091772.html?utm_hp_ref=arts&ir=Arts

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1. Obama's budget will increase Smithsonian 6% from pre-sequestration levels

I know everyone thinks the only thing in the budget is chained CPI, but among many other increases in spending, these 10% overall increases to the arts (from sequestration levels today) are also in the proposed budget:

President Obama’s budget proposal for the coming fiscal year would boost federal arts spending 10% above where it stands at the moment, lifting it to $1.58 billion for the 2013-14 budget year that begins Oct. 1 and more than compensating for cuts from the "budget sequestration" bill that went into effect last month.

Those reductions sliced 5% across the board from three federal cultural grant-making agencies as well as the Smithsonian Institution, the National Gallery of Art and the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, lowering their combined spending from $1.51 billion to about $1.44 billion for fiscal 2012-13.

The budget proposal Obama presented last week for 2013-14 would restore those cuts and provide an additional 4.5% increase above pre-sequestration funding.


The president is recommending $154.5 million each for the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities, 5.8% higher than their $146 million allowance before sequestration, in which they each took a $7.3 million hit.

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The Smithsonian Institution took a $40-million cut under sequestration; the president’s $869-million proposal -- $711 million for operations and $158 million for construction and renovations -- is up 6% from its pre-sequestration level.

His $144-million proposal for the National Gallery of Art, including $23 million for renovations, would increase its budget nearly 11% from where it stood before sequestration.

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/culture/la-et-cm-obama-federal-arts-budget-plan-would-override-sequester-cuts-20130412,0,7347848.story