A persuasive advocate should be up to date on the key issues affecting the opera sector.

Read the latest news on advocacy efforts prepared by OPERA America's director of government affairs and civic practice — and check back for regular updates.

Review the key issues affecting opera and the arts with resources and downloadable briefs prepared by the Cultural Action Group.

Advocacy Updates

Issued April 3, 2026

Administration's Proposed FY2027 Budget and Senate “Dear Colleague” Letter – Take Action Now!

On April 3, the Administration’s FY 2027 Budget Request to Congress was released and included numerous provisions pertaining to the cultural agencies. Among those are:

• $29 million to carry out the closure of the National Endowment for the Arts

• $38 million to carry out the closure for the National Endowment for the Humanities, including the administration of awards made prior to September 30th, 2026

• $6 million to carry out the closure of the Institute of Museum and Library Services

• $2 billion for the new Make Education Great Again (MEGA) grants program, which would “support evidence-based instruction in reading and mathematics while also permitting a range of other activities authorized under ESSA. States would be required to reserve at least 25% of the MEGA funds to support literacy activities and 25% for evidence-based mathematics instruction. Remaining funds could be used by states to support any activities currently allowable under 17 formula and competitive K-12 grant programs that would be eliminated in the proposal. These include Title II, 21^stCentury Community Learning Centers, Title IV-A, and Assistance for Arts Education, among others. Funding for the 17 programs totaled $6.5 billion in FY 2026, nearly a 70% decrease.

The overall budget is requesting a $1.5 trillion for the Department of Defense, a 40% increase over FY 2026,coupled by a call for $73 billion in cuts across many domestic agencies, including the elimination of many education and cultural programs. The administration’s proposed budget is one part of the appropriations process and advocates have opportunities to reach out to Congress and speak to the critical role federal funding for the arts and humanities plays across the country.

As Congress demonstrated in the FY26 appropriations process, there is a bipartisan support for the cultural agencies and one way advocates can take action now is by reaching out to their senators to urge them to sign onto the “Dear Colleagues” letter in support of $213 million for the NEA and NEH – an important step in the Congressional appropriations process!

Court Decision Upholding Nonprofit Nonpartisanship

Nonprofit organizations nationwide welcomed a federal court decision on March 31 dismissing a proposed legal settlement that would have barred enforcement of a federal law protecting nonprofits from partisan politics. While the legal settlement would have applied only to the two churches involved in the case, it nonetheless threatened to weaken a critical federal law, known as the Johnson Amendment, that for over 70 years has protected charitable and religious nonprofits from partisan political activity. This law ensures that 501(c)(3) organizations can focus on their missions without political interference. In its decision, the court held that it is barred from hearing the case under the Tax Anti-Injunction Act (AIA) because the issue at hand involves whether the two churches involved in the case would lose their tax-exempt status – and therefore, face tax liability – if they engage in partisan politics. The court decided that the case does not fall under an exception to the AIA, finding that it is not “certain” that the government would fail on the merits. According to the judge, “the court is not prepared to find plaintiffs’ contentions so undebatable as to foreclose any possibility of government success.” The plaintiffs, however, are expected to appeal the case to the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit. Update courtesy of Independent Sector.

Federal judge blocks executive order to end federal funding for PBS and NPR

Citing the First Amendment, a federal judge on Tuesday agreed to permanently block the Administration from implementing a presidential directive to end federal funding for National Public Radio and the Public Broadcasting Service, two media entities that the White House has said are counterproductive to American priorities. The operational impact of U.S. District Judge Randolph Moss' decision was not immediately clear — both because it will likely be appealed and because too much damage to the public-broadcasting system has already been done, both by the president and Congress. Moss ruled that the president’s executive order to cease funding for NPR and PBS is unlawful and unenforceable. The judge said the First Amendment right to free speech "does not tolerate viewpoint discrimination and retaliation of this type." The judge agreed with government attorneys that some of the news outlets' legal claims are moot, partly because the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the entity that funneled that money to the TV and radio networks, no longer exists. "But that does not end the matter because the Executive Order sweeps beyond the CPB," Moss added. "It also directs that all federal agencies refrain from funding NPR and PBS — regardless of the nature of the program or the merits of their applications or requests for funding." More can be found at PBS news.

Upcoming Webinar: Which Way Forward? When Ideological Pressures Threaten Institutional Values

Our coalition partners, the National Coalition Against Censorship, are presenting an upcoming webinar April 10 from 12pm to 1:15pm ET on how cultural institutions can navigate political pressure while staying true to their missions and continuing their work. Registration can be found here.

Issued March 27, 2026

Cultural Preservation Groups sue to enjoin Kennedy Center Renovations 

A group of cultural and historical preservation groups filed a lawsuit against the administration on Monday to block the further closure of the John F. Kennedy Center, which have been cited as necessary for revenue renovations. Plaintiffs include the National Trust for Historic Preservation in the United States, Society of Architectural Historians, and the Cultural Landscape Foundation. The lawsuit alleges that the recently announced plan to shut the Kennedy Center down for two years to carry out renovations is unnecessary and unlawful. The complaint states that the Kennedy Center Board of Trustees seek “[t]o fundamentally alter this iconic property without complying with bedrock federal historic preservation and environmental laws, and without securing the necessary congressional authorization.” Plaintiffs also say the administration should be enjoined from closing the Kennedy Center until it complies with all of the necessary requirements for conducting a renovation project of this size. Update courtesy of the Jurist NEWS. 

Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations report on Ticketing 

The report, “SO CASUALLY CRUEL: How Ticketmaster’s Monopoly Supercharges Price and Fees.”, details " new information on the ways in which Ticketmaster abused its monopoly power to reap huge profits and push concert tickets farther out of reach for fans." Of note, the report suggests the Congress should consider statutory limitations on the prices of resold tickets and enact restrictions on deceptive and abusive ticketing practices. Our coalition partner, NIVA, released a statement. 

Issued March 20, 2026

Kennedy Center Board votes to shut down operations for 2 years and names a new president

The Kennedy Center’s board of directors voted last Monday to shut down operations for two years following this summer’s July 4 celebrations. The board also voted to install Matt Floca as CEO and executive director, replacing Richard Grenell, who oversaw the recent changes at the venue. The Kennedy Center said the vote was unanimous, though Rep. Joyce Beatty didn’t cast a vote. The Ohio Democrat is an ex officio member of the board and sued to preclude the administration from excluding her from last Monday’s meeting. Over two weekends ago, a federal judge ruled she was entitled to participate in the meeting but didn’t require that the board allow her to vote.

Artists From Abroad: Additional Countries Subject to Visa Bond: 50 to Date and New Form I-129 Beginning April 1, 2026

While not presently applicable to O or P nonimmigrant visa holders, Wednesday morning, the Administration expanded its list of countries whose nationals are subject to paying a visa bond in order to enter the United States. The updated list of countries currently totals 50 and newly includes Cambodia, Ethiopia, Georgia, Grenada, Lesotho, Mauritius, Mongolia, Mozambique, Nicaragua, ​Papua New Guinea, Seychelles, and Tunisia. Visa bonds for nationals of these countries go into effect April 2, but the full list should be checked to see the effective dates for the 38 other countries.

Visa bonds may be assessed for up to $15,000 ​for a B1 or B2 visa for business and tourism, with the aim of preventing overstays. Visa holders who post a visa bond are required to enter and exit the U.S. through designated ports of entry, and bonds are to be returned when visa recipients return home in compliance with the terms of the visa and the bond. For complete details and links to additional information, visit the State Department webpage on visa bonds.

Also, the latest version of the Form I-129, dated 02/27/26, goes into effect with petitions received by USCIS April 1 and onward. Given the change in policy that the effective date no longer corresponds to postmark but rather to date received, petitioners should begin using the new version of the form immediately. No substantive changes have been made for O and P petitions, and sample O and P Form I-129s have been posted in our Appendix. Remember to confirm the edition date in the lower left corner of each page - failure to use the proper edition will result in USCIS returning a petition.

As always, items that are not pertinent may be left blank, or petitioners can handwrite "N/A" to indicate a question is not applicable. Update courtesy of Artists from Abroad.

Key Advocacy Issues

Prepare to take action by reviewing the key issues with online resources and downloadable briefs prepared by the Cultural Advocacy Group