‘Housewives’ star Kyle MacLachlan joins advocates calling on Congress for arts funding

‘Housewives’ star calls on Congress for arts funds

WASHINGTON — “Desperate Housewives” actor Kyle MacLachlan, who plays Orson Hodge on the Sunday night series, is telling lawmakers he got his start by performing in community theaters funded in part by federal grants.

MacLachlan joined actor Jeff Daniels and hundreds of arts advocates Tuesday on Capitol Hill. They are pressing Congress for increased funding for the National Endowment for the Arts despite the rising federal deficit.

Advocates are seeking $180 million in federal support for the NEA for 2011, hoping to surpass a high of $176 million in funding granted the NEA in the mid-1990s before its budget was slashed.

The group Americans for the Arts says public and private support for the arts declined by about $1 billion last year because of the recession.