The longer the debate over the stimulus package goes on, the worse is the fate of arts funding, or so it seems.

On Friday, the Senate, which has yet to vote on the stimulus package, passed an amendment "to ensure that taxpayer money is not lost on wasteful and non-stimulative projects," reports the L.A. Timess Culture Monster blog.

The measure, which won easily — 73 yeas, 24 nays —  would prevent "any ... museum, theater [or] art center" from sharing in the bailout, according to the advocacy group Americans for the Arts. Also excluded are gambling facilities; aquariums and zoos; golf courses, swimming pools, and parks; and highway beautification projects.

The amendment, offered by Tom Coburn (R-Oklahoma), found significant bipartisan support, including from such Democrats as Diane Feinstein of California, Charles Schumer of New York, Robert Casey of Pennsylvania, and Russ Feingold of Wisconsin.

Americans for the Arts is organizing an e-mail campaign in the hopes of eliminating the Coburn amendment from the final draft of the stimulus bill, which, following passage of the Senate bill, will be worked out in a House-Senate committee.

Unlike the version of the bill being debated in the Senate, the House bill, which was passed weeks ago, does include funding for the arts, a $50 million sum to be allocated through the National Endowment for the Arts.