Arts NC Goes to Washington

Arts NC Goes to Washington

Arts NC Executive Director Nate McGaha was in Washington DC on March 23^rd and 24^th by invitation of Americans for the Arts (AFTA) to participate alongside 8 other advocates from 7 different states to have nearly 60 congressional meetings during their first congressional fly-in event of 2026. The first day included a series of briefings at AFTA headquarters on K Street about the current political climate on Capitol Hill and up-to-date research on the arts, the economy, and the impact of recent legislation. The day also included a customized strategy session about the NC Congressional delegation and deep dives into the pending and future legislative efforts that were the business at hand. The second day was a whirlwind of meetings with the Senator Tedd Budd and Rep. Greg Murphy and their staff plus the legislative teams of Rep. Alma Adams, Rep. Chuck Edwards, and Rep. Deborha Ross concerning:

• CREATE Act: clarifying language for Small Business Administration programs and services to be more accessible to arts and creative businesses.
• STAR Act: lifting arts restrictions on federal and local matching funds on transportation projects drafted by Congresswoman Alma Adams
• HBCU Arts Act: allowing federal funds for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) to be used for arts education and conservation.
• BEA-ACPSA: enabling the US Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) to continue tracking arts and culture economy which ended due to recent staff cuts.
• Performing Artist Tax Parity Act: enabling more performing artists paid as employees to deduct business expenses from their taxable income.

The second day started with a productive conversation with Senator Tedd Budd at a “Carolina Coffee” event at the Capitol Visitor Center joined by two North Carolina natives; Olivia Tarpley with AFTA and Delaney Garver from American Art Therapy Association (whose annual conference will be in Charlotte this year). After a stop by the office of Senator Thom Tillis to arrange a video meeting in the coming weeks it was over to the House Offices on the other side of the hill. A brief conversation was possible was had with Rep. Rep. Greg Murphy about some of the great arts leadership in his district (specifically Pitt and Craven Counties) followed a more intensive discussion with his legislative staff in his Cannon Building office. Using the underground tunnels Nate moved to the Longworth Building and had productive meetings with the staff of Rep. Deborha Ross and Rep. Chuck Edwards. After another trip underground, this time to the Rayburn Building, Nate and Olivia Tarpley from AFTA had a strategic conversation with Rep. Alma Adams‘ Legislative Assistant focused on her two pieces of arts legislation, the HBCU Arts Act and the STAR Act.

The day ended with advocates getting together over drinks to swap stories about their experiences, strategize for the future, and reconnect before Nate took the last flight out of Washington, returning home to continue planning ARTS Day 2026 in Raleigh on May 12^th and 13^th.