AMTA Government Relations Update 5-4-25

DESCRIPTION OF ISSUE

On May 2, 2025, the White House released the President​’s Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) Discretionary “skinny budget”, an initial budget request.  The President’s full budget is expected to be released on May 19th. Specifics about proposed agency priorities and cuts can be found here: Fiscal-Year-2026-Discretionary-Budget-Request.pdf.

Recognizing that it may have been a few years since we participated in a Civics class, here is a quick refresher on the Federal Budget Process. The “skinny budget” proposes $163 billion in cuts to non-defense programs.  A significant concern is that this budget eliminates many established programs that support music therapy clients and the agencies that oversee implementation and compliance. The administration is focused on shifting funding responsibility and management to the states. Unfortunately, the states do not necessarily have the infrastructure or funding to operationalize these long-standing federal programs, which will ultimately lead to additional service cuts.

One specific program the President has slated for elimination is the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA).  In addition to providing grant funding for several non-profit music therapy programs across the country, this agency is responsible for the Creative Forces®: NEA Military Healing Arts Network.  This NEA initiative, in partnership with the U.S. Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs, has increased access to music therapy with Veterans and active military, while increasing public awareness and research studies that support the profession.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

Continue to contact your U.S. Senators and Representative to express your views and concerns.  Encourage your colleagues, families, and friends to do the same.  Feel free to utilize AMTA’s VoterVoice platform and share it with your community. It does not hurt to email or call every week, as Congressional offices keep track of all constituent contacts they receive by issue area and viewpoints shared.

Advocacy Issues of importance to music therapy clients, clinicians, educators, and students:

1. Vote NO to proposed Medicaid cuts
2. Vote NO to eliminating the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA)
3. Vote NO to eliminating the Administration for Community Living under Health and Human Services (HHS)
4. Vote NO to moving the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) management to HHS
5. Vote NO to eliminating the Department of Education
6. Vote NO to eliminating the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH)
7. Vote NO to dismantling HHS, National Institutes of Health (NIH), Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and other critical federal programs.
8. Vote NO to eliminating programs under the Small Business Administration (SBA) that support music therapy business owners, i.e., SCORE, Women’s Business Centers

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