Congress Snubs Kevin Spacey and Alec Baldwin

     Last Tuesday, Actors Alec Baldwin and Kevin Spacey were scheduled to testify before a House Appropriations subcommittee. However, Members of Congress and their staffs apparently didn't have time because they were prepping for the government shutdown showdown, so they cancelled the hearings. Meanwhile, Spacey spent the rest his time in DC biking around town and appearing on Hardball with Chris Matthews.

     Baldwin and Spacey sought to prevent House Republicans from cutting $40 million from the National Endowment of the Arts (NEA). The NEA is a federally-funded independent agency that supports and funds initiatives and programs that foster artistic creativity and art education. Congress created the agency in 1965. Every year, entertainment icons, who have in one way or another benefitted from NEA programs during their life, advocate for congressional funding for the NEA. In recent years, Robert Redford, Kerry Washington, and John Legend have testified before Congress about the importance of encouraging creativity in young people.