Washington, DC (July 31, 2026) — The United States Senate yesterday voted to confirm Michael McDonald as the thirteenth Chair of the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). The White House is expected to make the official appointment in the coming days and McDonald will begin his appointment immediately thereafter.

McDonald issued the following statement after his Senate confirmation: “I am deeply honored to be nominated by President Donald J. Trump and confirmed by the U.S. Senate to serve as Chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Knowledge of and access to history, civics, and culture are essential to a healthy democracy. I welcome this opportunity to help support and promote the best of the humanities in service to the American people.”

McDonald joined NEH in 2003 and has worked in several positions at the agency, including the Assistant Chairman for Programs, the Acting Deputy Chairman, Acting Chairman, Senior Deputy Chairman, and, for most of his time at the agency, the General Counsel. Following the inauguration of President Donald J. Trump in 2025, Michael McDonald was appointed Acting Chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) in March 2025, and served in that capacity until January 2026. He was nominated by President Trump as the 13th Chairman of NEH on February 4, 2026.

Michael McDonald received his Ph.D. in Romance Languages and Literatures from the Catholic University of America. He also holds a J.D. from the National Law Center at George Washington University and is a member of the Bar of the Supreme Court of the United States. From 1988 to 2002, McDonald was on the Board of Directors and served as President of the Center for Individual Rights, a non-profit public interest law firm in Washington, D.C. that he co-founded. In addition to writing for legal journals, McDonald has written scholarly articles, essays, and reviews for publications such as The American Scholar, The National Interest, The Wilson Quarterly, The Wall Street Journal, Academic Questions, The Italian Quarterly, The Claremont Review of Books, The New Criterion, The International Review of Modernism, The Journal of European Studies, Commentary, and the Times Literary Supplement. 

William English has served as the agency’s Acting Chairman since April 2026. English will return to his previous position as a member of NEH’s advisory board, the National Council on the Humanities.