Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Dina Titus (1st District of Nevada)
WASHINGTON – Congresswoman Dina Titus (NV-01), as a member of the Congressional Arts Caucus, today introduced the Fine Arts Protection Act with Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (ME-01) to hold the Trump administration accountable for protecting historical works of art owned by the federal government.
The legislation directs the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) to survey the art in General Services Administration (GSA)’s Fine Arts collection, provide an estimate of the value of the collection, and examine whether GSA is the best suited agency to house the collection.
“Trump’s decimation of the Fine Arts Program at GSA threatens the preservation of national artwork reflecting our rich, diverse culture and history,” said Rep. Titus. “It is critical that we hold our federal agencies accountable for protecting these national treasures and ensure the public has full access to the 26,000 works of art exhibited in museums and federal buildings around the country. The Fine Arts Protection Act will safeguard the public’s right to access art dating back to the 1850s and will maintain the preservation of historical artifacts that describe our shared American story, like Ben Shahn’s 1942 fresco The Meaning of Social Security. Art commissioned by the federal government is a vital part of our national heritage and deserves to be preserved for future generations. Yet Trump continues his assault on American culture, turning our artistic institutions into his own propaganda machine.”
“The Trump Administration’s mass layoffs at the GSA’s Fine Arts Program have put the future of more than 26,000 works of public art in jeopardy — from New Deal murals to modern masterpieces that tell the story of our nation’s history and values. Gutting the very staff responsible for preserving and inspecting these works leaves priceless cultural treasures at risk of neglect, damage, or even disappearance,” said Rep. Pingree, Co-Chair of the bipartisan Arts Caucus. “The public has a right to know the value and condition of art commissioned with their tax dollars, and to be assured it will be cared for and accessible for generations to come. The Fine Arts Protection Act will bring critical transparency and accountability to the stewardship of this collection, ensuring these treasured works remain accessible to the people they were created for.”
Representatives Nadler, Kamlager-Dove, Holmes Norton, and Johnson also signed onto the Fine Arts Protection Act as original cosponsors.
Background
Through its Fine Arts Program, GSA maintains one of the oldest and largest public arts collections in the United States. The civic artworks in the collection date back to the 1850s and are displayed in federal buildings and courthouses across the United States. Through this program, GSA also manages art that was created under New Deal programs. Today, more than 20,000 New Deal works of art are on long-term loan to museums and other nonprofit institutions.
In April of 2025, Rep. Dina Titus led other members of the Congressional Arts Caucus in a letter to GSA raising concern over reports that over half of the Fine Arts Program’s staff, who play a critical role in preserving the collection, had been put on leave. The letter underscored that art plays an important role in helping us preserve and understand our country’s history. It also asserted that the public has a right to access art that was commissioned by the federal government.
As Co-Chair of the Congressional Humanities Caucus and a member of the Congressional Arts Caucus, Congresswoman Titus has fought to protect historical and cultural artifacts from attacks under the Trump Administration. In May 2025, Congresswoman Titus published an op-ed sounding the alarm on the Administration’s unprecedented attacks on the nation’s cultural fabric.
During the Fiscal Year 2026 appropriations process, Congresswoman Titus’s letter calling for robust funding for the National Endowment for the Humanities garnered a record 153 bipartisan signers, reflecting the enduring support these institutions have across the political aisle and the widespread recognition of their importance in our communities.
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