Proposed Budget Cuts Threaten Japanese American History Sites and Programs
May 6, 2025
by Ellen Sato Faust, Executive Director
As a member of the Japanese American Confinement Sites (JACS) Consortium, the Bainbridge Island Japanese American Exclusion Memorial Association stands in solidarity with our fellow historic sites and institutions across the country in opposing the proposed federal budget cuts that threaten the preservation and interpretation of Japanese American history.
Last month, BIJAEMA joined other JACS Consortium members in Washington, D.C. to advocate for continued support of the JACS grant program and the broader coalition of organizations committed to educating the public about the injustices of Japanese American incarceration during World War II. We were encouraged by the bipartisan recognition of the importance of this work—but deeply alarmed by subsequent proposals to eliminate the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), the Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS), and the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), as well as to slash nearly $900 million from the National Park Service budget.
As our colleagues at the Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation noted, these cuts would directly threaten the existence and operations of National Park Service sites at former incarceration camps in California, Colorado, and Idaho, while also undermining programs already approved by Congress with overwhelming bipartisan support—such as the Norman Y. Mineta Japanese American Confinement Education (JACE) Act. These programs are vital to honoring the memory of those unjustly incarcerated and ensuring that future generations understand how easily civil liberties can be compromised.
The stories told at Japanese American confinement sites are not just Japanese American history—they are American history. They serve as powerful reminders of both the fragility and the resilience of our democracy. Defunding the institutions that help us tell these stories weakens our national fabric at a time when remembrance and education are more important than ever.
We urge Congress to reject these short-sighted cuts and to continue investing in the preservation of our shared history. While BIJAEMA fortunately was not impacted by the clawbacks that affected JACSC members who had been awarded NEH and IMLS grants, together with our partners across the JACS Consortium, BIJAEMA will continue to speak out, stand together, and ensure that the lessons of the past remain visible, accessible, and enduring.
