National Endowment for the Humanities terminates majority of staff, union says

Source: USA Today

Published 6:56 p.m. ET April 10, 2025 | Updated 7:18 p.m. ET April 10, 2025


The National Endowment for the Humanities began terminating most of its staff Thursday, according to the union representing employees of the federal agency.

Approximately 65% of the NEH staff had received termination notices as of Thursday evening, the American Federation of Government Employees Local 3403 said in an email.

NEH is a small agency with 180 employees and a $207 million budget that is dedicated to funding humanities programs such as history, law, literature, philosophy, and linguistics. The agency has awarded $6 billion in grants since 1965, funding everything from museums to historic sites, school programs and state humanities councils.

"The union is disgusted by this Administration’s callous disregard for the meaningful contributions NEH staff make to our nation’s culture," the AFGE Local 3403 said in a statement Wednesday anticipating the terminations. "The staff of the NEH are the heart of grant programs that, among others, provide funds to build humanities infrastructure in local communities, support students in rural communities in accessing national treasures, and promote the preservation of our shared history."

Read more: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2025/04/10/trump-administration-guts-national-endowment-for-the-humanities/83032930007/