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 January 12, 2025

House of Representative Passes the Commerce, Justice, Science; Energy and Water Development; and Interior and Environment Appropriations Act

On January 8, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 6938, a three-bill package, by a vote of 397 to 28. The package allocates appropriations to the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies, within which the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities are included. Thanks to consistent advocacy and champions in Congress, the bill provides $207 million for the NEA and $207 million for the NEH, which is level with FY24 and FY25 funding. The bill now moves to the Senate as Members of Congress look to complete the FY26 appropriations process before the January 30 deadline.

USCIS Premium Processing Fee Increases Beginning March 1

The Department of Homeland Security has authority to make a biennial inflationary based adjustment to USCIS premium processing fees and has just published a Final Rule announcing the new PPS fees. Requests for Premium Processing Service (PPS) postmarked on or after March 1, 2026, must include the new fee. PPS requests for Form I-129 Petitions seeking approval for O and P visas used by international guest artists will increase from $2,805 to $2,965.

Update courtesy of Artists from Abroad

National Endowment for the Arts announces awards for first round of Grantmaking in FY26

On January 8, the NEA announced more than $16 million in funding to nonprofit organizations across the United States as part of its first round of grantmaking in FY 2026. “The National Endowment for the Arts is proud to support opportunities across the country for Americans to experience and participate in the arts while celebrating our nation’s history,” said NEA’s Mary Anne Carter. “As we approach our country’s 250th anniversary, this is a moment to recognize the important role the arts continue to play in our lives, communities, and heritage.” The press release also states that these applications were recommended for funding at the October 2025 meeting of the National Council on the Arts (NCA) and are focused on projects honoring the nation’s semiquincentennial in 2026. The NEA’s council will consider a broader portfolio of the applications submitted in March 2025 at a meeting in early 2026. Applications submitted in July 2025 will be considered at a council meeting in the Spring. The FY 2026 grants will appear on a rolling basis in the NEA’s Grant Search as they are awarded.

Executive Action Withdrawing the US from International Cultural Agencies and Organizations

On January 7, a presidential memorandum was issued to withdraw the United States from 66 international and United Nations-affiliated organizations, described as “contrary to the interests of the United States.” Included in the list are organizations with direct relevance to arts and culture such as International Federation of Arts Councils and Culture Agencies (IFACCA), International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM), and UN Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC). Our partner in coalition, the Artists at Risk Connection released a statement on the withdrawal.

Corporation for Public Broadcasting votes to dissolve itself

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), the private, nonprofit corporation created by Congress to steward the federal government’s investment in public broadcasting, announced today that its Board of Directors has voted to dissolve the organization after 58 years of service to the American public. The decision follows Congress’s rescission of all of CPB’s federal funding that made it impossible for CPB to continue operating as the Public Broadcasting Act intended.

“For more than half a century, CPB existed to ensure that all Americans—regardless of geography, income, or background—had access to trusted news, educational programming, and local storytelling,” said Patricia Harrison, President and CEO of CPB. “When the Administration and Congress rescinded federal funding, our Board faced a profound responsibility: CPB’s final act would be to protect the integrity of the public media system and the democratic values by dissolving, rather than allowing the organization to remain defunded and vulnerable to additional attacks.” Update courtesy of, with additional information available in the CPB’s press release.

Key Advocacy Issues

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