Story highlights "This money is not expendable, extracurricular or extraneous. It is essential," he said

Trump proposed budget would cut several popular programs

(CNN) A former Republican campaign rival to President Donald Trump and father of one his top advisers says the president's proposed cuts to the National Endowment of the Arts would hurt low-income children by "killing the hope and help that come from creativity."

"I do care greatly about the real recipients of endowment funds: the kids in poverty for whom NEA programs may be their only chance to learn to play an instrument, test-drive their God-given creativity and develop a passion for those things that civilize and humanize us all," former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee wrote in a Washington Post op-ed published Thursday. "They're the reason we should stop and recognize that this line item accounting for just 0.004% of the federal budget is not what's breaking the bank."

Trump's first budget -- which requires congressional approval -- would eliminate funding for the arts endowment. The blueprint budget would offset increases in defense spending by proposing $54 billion in cuts to large parts of the federal government and many popular programs, including public broadcasting.

Huckabee, who eventually endorsed Trump in 2016 and for whom his daughter, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, is now the deputy White House press secretary, said funding for the arts should be preserved to help students achieve academically.

"Do we want students who are less likely to drop out of school and more likely to have academic success, particularly in math and science?" he asked. "Creativity finds cures for diseases, creates companies such as Apple and Microsoft and, above all, makes our culture more livable."

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