Overview

• The Federation of State Humanities Councils and Oregon Humanities filed a lawsuit in Portland, Oregon, targeting the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), acting administrator Amy Gleason, and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH).
• The lawsuit seeks to restore terminated grants and enforce congressional appropriations for state and jurisdictional humanities councils.
• The plaintiffs accuse DOGE of exceeding its authority by canceling federally mandated funding and laying off over 80% of NEH staff in April 2025.
• This is the latest in a series of lawsuits filed by cultural organizations, including the Authors Guild, against the administration's humanities funding cuts.
• The NEH, established in 1965, has historically provided over $6 billion in grants to support museums, libraries, universities, and community programs across the U.S.