The National Endowment for the Humanities building on April 11, 2025 in Washington, D.C.
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In a significant judicial move, a federal judge has declared that the U.S. government’s sudden termination of funding for humanities grants, previously sanctioned by Congress, was “unlawful.” This ruling allows the lawsuit initiated by humanities organizations to continue.
Earlier this year, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) halted grants distributed by the National Endowment for the Humanities, affecting numerous groups such as museums, libraries, and educational institutions nationwide.
In response, Oregon Humanities and the Federation of State Humanities Councils filed a lawsuit in May, arguing that the funding cuts represented an “attempted destruction, spearheaded by DOGE, of the congressionally established federal-state partnership.”
U.S. District Judge Michael H. Simon, in his opinion, stated that the plaintiffs were “likely to succeed on their claim that the withholding of the funds at issue in this case is unconstitutional.” He emphasized, “The United States Constitution exclusively grants the power of the purse to Congress, not the President.”
Judge Simon further noted, “Federal funding for the arts and humanities has enjoyed bipartisan support for decades, with Congress continuing to strengthen the statutes governing NEH and provide stable funding generation after generation.”
The president of the Federation of State Humanities Councils, Phoebe Stein, hailed the decision as “excellent.” However, she cautioned that many councils are operating without their allocated funds, resulting in layoffs and program cancellations.
Adam Davis, executive director of Oregon Humanities, described the ruling as “motivating,” highlighting it as “one step — among many that are needed — in the large, ongoing endeavor to knit our communities and the country closer together.”
In a related development, a federal court in New York similarly found the government’s actions unlawful, ordering that the grants be reinstated pending further proceedings.
As of now, the National Endowment for the Humanities has not issued a response to NPR’s request for comment.
Jennifer Vanasco edited this story.
This article was originally written by www.npr.org
