Despite Bipartisan Champions in Congress, There’s Only One Choice for President

November 1, 2024

Ben Kessler  -  Ben Kessler, AFM Director of Government Affairs

As I write this column just weeks before Election Day, I am inspired to highlight a tangible demonstration of union support from the Biden-Harris administration.

On Friday, September 27, musicians of the National Symphony Orchestra, members of Local 161-710 (Washington, DC), went on strike. As I walked toward the Kennedy Center that morning, I called one of the AFM’s two labor policy points of contact at the White House. Since the beginning of the week, my day began and ended by providing an update on contract negotiations. Without my needing to advocate or explain, the White House made one thing clear: the Biden-Harris administration would honor its commitments to American workers and refuse to cross the picket line.

The Biden-Harris administration’s support for workers is not limited to certain trades or tax brackets. For this White House, all workers deserve a fair contract, whether they are machinists or musicians.

When the two parties reached an extension shortly before the season’s opening gala performance, the president’s box sat empty that evening. It was a small but visible sign of solidarity with a group of musicians fresh off a brief strike.

The Biden-Harris administration has repeatedly demonstrated it cares about working artists. This administration has given the AFM a seat at the table. And we can be confident that these open lines of communication will continue in a Kamala Harris administration. Vice President Harris has made it clear that she would carry the mantle of the most pro-labor administration in our history. She has repeatedly stated her support for the PRO Act to ensure all workers have the right to organize and collectively bargain without interference. Former President Trump and Senator Vance have repeatedly criticized the proposal.

Vice President Harris has encouraged undecided voters to tune into Trump rallies to hear directly from the former president. If you have watched any of those events, you would have heard his disregard for overtime pay, minimum wage requirements, and workplace protections. And when Trump is taking a break from disparaging unions, his musical interludes are taken from copyright holders without proper permissions. Repeatedly, Donald Trump has made clear he does not respect our union and he does not value your profession.

While partisan rancor is often deafening, thankfully, in Congress it is support for the arts that bridges the divide. We are fortunate that many of our policy priorities have strong bipartisan support. We have steadfast support from Republicans and Democrats on copyright, creators’ rights, artificial intelligence safeguards, and tax fairness and parity for performing artists. Our champions on these issues represent diverse congressional districts and states covering large metropolitan areas and rural communities.

Thirty years ago, the fight over federal arts funding rose to the highest levels of government. Now, in Congress at least, support for our cultural agencies brings lawmakers together in what are, unfortunately, rare moments of bipartisan cooperation. Every Trump budget called for the elimination of the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities. Many Republican members of Congress joined with their Democratic colleagues to reject the proposal and instead provide modest funding increases.

How you vote on or before November 5 will have a profound impact on your profession and our shared work. I am grateful for the many elected officials on both sides of the aisle who are champions for the AFM. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for both candidates for president. While I am uncertain of the outcome as I write to you in the middle of October, I know that only electing Harris as the next president of the United States will further our goals as a union.

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