Trump Reappoints Mary Anne Carter NEA Chair
58Dec. 20, 2025
The US Senate on December 19 confirmed Mary Anne Carter as chair of theNational Endowment for the Arts. Carter occupied the role during the first Trump presidency. During her first term, she expanded Creative Forces (a creative arts therapy program for US service members and veterans recovering from psychological health conditions) and elevated initiatives such as Shakespeare in American Communities, NEA Big Read, and Poetry Out Loud. Her appointment comes in the wake of the Trump administration’s attempt to reshape the NEA by urging grant applicants to submit proposals celebrating the US’s upcoming 250th anniversary and by revoking funds issued to artists whose projects were deemed unaligned with White House sensibilities.
“I am once again deeply honored to serve as chairman of theNational Endowment for the Arts,” said Carter in a statement. “I am committed to advancing the vision that the arts belong to all Americans, no matter who they are or where they live. The arts are essential to creating, innovating, healing, and recovery, and they provide vital economic stability to communities across the nation. I look forward to the many celebrations that will take place in 2026 in honor of America’s 250th anniversary, as well as to the agency’s continued research into the powerful role the arts play in healing—from illness to trauma to natural disasters.”
Prior to her initial appointment, Carter had little experience in the arts, having served as a chief policy adviser to Florida Senator Rick Scott when he was as governor. She is the founder and president of MAC Research, Inc., a consulting firm specializing in political and public affairs, and was earlier director of US Senate Relations at the Heritage Foundation, the Washington, DC–based public policy think tank in Washington, DC, that authored Project 2025, a blueprint for consolidating power within the executive branch during the second Trump presidency.