One of the Democratic amendments which was voted upon during debate on the 2004 Interior appropriations bill was a measure by Representative Slaughter (D-NY) to provide an additional $10 million for the National Endowment for the Arts and an additional $5 million for the National Endowment for the Humanities. Progressives, who support federal assistance to the arts and humanities, voted in favor of Slaughter's amendment. A vibrant arts community, Progressives argued, is a necessary component of a civilized society. A majority of Republicans voted against the amendment; in their view, federal funding for the National Endowments for the Arts and Humanities was a waste of taxpayer dollars. In fact, Republican lawmakers have made numerous attempts in recent years to eliminate all federal funding to the National Endowments for the Arts and Humanities. Thirty-five Republicans joined a solid majority of Democrats in passing the Slaughter amendment on a 225-200 vote.