Talking Heads Singer David Byrne Slams Trump’s Proposed Cuts To The Arts

It’s not only the mainstream artists of today’s music who are calling out President Donald Trump. Rock legend David Byrne of Talking Heads fame has slammed Trump’s proposal to eliminate federal funding for arts agencies such as the National Endowment for the Arts.

The musician posted an essay on his website, writing, “The Trump administration and their Republican allies hope to eliminate funding for a number of federal arts organizations. This is a political move.”

Byrne understands the arts can be considered as “superfluous by many and fluffy and indulgent by others” but still believes that it is one of the “best investments the government can make.” According to the artist, the reason for this is because non-profit arts can generate $135.2 billion in economic activity in the United States.

The musician ended his essay by taking a shot at the politicians who support the cuts, writing, “Surely the businessmen and women in our government can see this and get beyond making silly political points at the expense of the nation, its economy and people.”

An outspoken opponent of Trump, Byrne has previously written about the president on his website and also spoke out against the administration during a rally in New York City on Monday. “You may hate the arts, but it’s complete stupidity to destroy this part of the economy,” he said.

Unveiled in March, Trump’s proposed budget for 2018 would cut the entire $741 million which is spent on the National Endowment of the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

According to White House Budget Director Mick Mulvaney, the cuts will lead to an increase in spending for defense and homeland security. “Can we really continue to ask a coal miner in West Virginia or a single mom in Detroit to pay for these programs,” he said on MSNBC. “The answer was no.”