Julie Andrews defends the arts amid President Donald Trump's proposal to cease funding the NEA and NEH
Julie Andrews isn't happy with President Donald Trump's disregard for the arts.
The 81-year-old entertainer and her daughter Emma Walton Hamilton penned an opinion piece for CNN Thursday, stressing why it's important to keep artistic programs intact.
The Celebrity Apprentice host, in his new proposed budget for 2018 unveiled Wednesday, sought to eliminate the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Legend: Julie Andrews, 81, penned an op-ed piece with her daughter opposing President Donald Trump's cut of two major artistic endowments. She appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert last month
National treasure: The iconic entertainer was snapped last fall at the Sydney Opera House in Sydney, Australia
Brazen: Trump's 2018 budget plans call for a total elimination of the arts and humanities endowments
'This is mind-boggling to us, considering how much the arts benefit our lives and our world,' said Hamilton and Andrews, best known for cinematic classics such as 1964's Mary Poppins and 1965's The Sound of Music. 'The arts are fundamental to our common humanity. Every time we attend the theater, a museum or a concert, we are literally feeding our souls, and investing in and preserving our collective future.'
Hamilton and Andrews cited research that showed the beneficial effect the arts have on young people, communities and society, in general.
'They cultivate empathy and tolerance, by bridging cultural and socioeconomic divides,' they wrote. 'They're also good for business: They spur urban renewal, promote tourism and generate hundreds of billions of dollars in economic activity annually.'
Classic: Andrews' legendary career included an Academy Award for Best Actress in Mary Poppins in 1965
Honored: The celebrated film also took home four other Oscars, in categories for editing, effects and music
Andrews and Hamilton said that 'with the shifting priorities of our new presidential administration, artists and arts organizations are at serious risk of losing the support they need to do their invaluable work,' with a 'disproportionate' amount coming from 'poor, inner-city and rural communities.'
Andrews, who appeared in 2001's The Princess Diaries in addition to its 2004 sequel, said she 'has witnessed the impact that arts education has for young people on an international basis' in her experience working with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Artists Committee for Americans for the Arts.
The hills are alive: Andrews played Maria in the 1965 film The Sound of Music
The mother-daughter duo said that 'it has never been more critical to advocate for and support the arts -- not just in our schools, but in our communities and our lives.'
They asked for 'every member of our society -- individuals, educators, administrators, business leaders' to let the politicians know how essential the arts are in our everyday lives.
In another presidential first, Trump is the only president to ever propose cutting off finances to the arts. Such endowments have been intact for more than 50 years, under legislation from President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1965. Other branches targeted by Trump in his new budget include the Environmental Protection Agency, the State Department and Housing and Urban Development.
Julie’s Greenroom, a family-oriented show hosted by Andrews that examines the arts, premieres Friday on Netflix.
Next up: Andrews will host a Netflix program named Julie's Greenroom that debuts Friday
Unprecedented: Trump is the first ever president to propose to cease funding the programs entirely
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