HONORING THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF NINA OZLU TUNCELI

On 2026-08-03, Representative Betty McCollum (D-MN-4) delivered a floor speech titled "HONORING THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF NINA OZLU TUNCELI" in the House.

HONORING THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF NINA OZLU TUNCELI

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 126 (Monday, August 3, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 126 (Monday, August 3, 2026)] [Extensions of Remarks] [Pages E762-E763] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] HONORING THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF NINA OZLU TUNCELI ______ HON. BETTY McCOLLUM of minnesota in the house of representatives Monday, August 3, 2026 Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Nina Ozlu Tunceli on the occasion of her retirement. For more than three decades, Nina has been one of the most tireless and effective advocates for the arts in America. Nina understands something fundamental: not only do the arts enrich our lives, they are also a key component of vibrant, economically strong communities. Since 1993, Nina has served as Chief Counsel of Government and Public Affairs at Americans for the Arts, and since 2004, as the founding Executive Director of the Americans for the Arts Action Fund. In that time, she built a network of 450,000 grassroots activists, built relationships with members of Congress on both sides of the aisle, and made the case that support for the arts is not a partisan issue--it is an American one. Nina has helped secure some of the most consequential arts policy wins of the past thirty years. In 2009, she led the ``Arts = Jobs'' campaign, which secured $50 million in federal support for the arts in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. During the pandemic, she helped secure critical relief for artists and arts organizations through the CARES Act, the Economic Aid Act, and the American Rescue Plan. Then, Nina established Zoom Office Hours with Nina where she devoted time to personally walking artists and small arts organizations through how to access that essential aid. She built the National Arts Advocacy Day into a Capitol Hill institution. Through ArtsVote, Nina ensured that voters across the country understood what was at stake for the arts in every election. I had the privilege of working with Nina throughout my time in Congress, especially during my leadership of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies. Nina has been a constant, trusted partner in the subcommittee's work to fund the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities. Nina provided the subcommittee with data and brought with her the voices of artists and arts organizations from every corner of the country. That partnership made our subcommittee's work stronger, and it strengthened the case for federal arts funding. Mr. Speaker, a career like Nina's isn't just measured in legislation passed or funding secured. It's measured in the local arts agencies [[Page E763]] still standing, the artists who kept working through moments of crisis, and the generation of advocates she trained and inspired along the way. On behalf of everyone who has ever benefited from a stronger, more visible case for the arts in this country, I want to thank Nina Ozlu Tunceli for 30 years of extraordinary service. I wish her the very best in her retirement. ____________________