All 17 members of the President鈥檚 Committee on the Arts and the Humanities have resigned in protest to what they have called President Trump鈥檚 鈥渟upport of hate groups and terrorists.鈥� The panel, which consists of artists from the worlds of theatre, film, the visual arts, and literature, penned a letter to the President on August 18 explaining their resignation was in direct response to the Administration鈥檚 handling of the racially charged events in Charlottesville, Virginia, last weekend.
Two-time Tony-winning director George C. Wolfe is among the members of the committee who resigned. Other members who signed the letter include actor Kal Penn, photographer and painter Chuck Close, author Jhumpa Lahiri, and musician Paula Boggs.
鈥淵our words and actions push us all further away from the freedoms we are guaranteed,鈥� reads the letter, which was shared on Twitter. 鈥淩eproach and censure in the strongest possible terms are necessary following your support of the hate groups and terrorists who killed and injured fellow Americans in Charlottesville.
The letter also references cuts to arts and cultural funding proposed in recent budget outlines, as well as President Trump鈥檚 comments on trans military members.
The President鈥檚 Committee on the Arts and the Humanities is an official White House agency and was established in 1982 under President Reagan. Its current members, who act as an advisory committee to the White House on cultural policy, join a number of White House council advisers who have resigned in protest this week.
Read the letter from the President鈥檚 Committee on the Arts and the Humanities below:
Update:All members have now resigned. Per , PCAH is an official agency, that makes this the 1st White House department to resign
— Kal Penn (@kalpenn)
